Rewriting the Scrolls
by Jinxie2013
Summary: Xena, Warrior…Teenager? When a wish is made, a new timeline begins. In a time of ancient gods, warlords, and teenage hormones, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged through childhood with Gabrielle. The bickering. The pranks. The annoyed parents. Their friendship will change the world.
1. Chapter 1

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Alternate Ending of ****XWP: Post Episodes Series**

**Chapter 1**

**By Jinxie & Wifey**

**A/N:** All ideas used in this story were created and written by Jinxie and her wife, aka Wifey. The chapter by line will state who is writing each chapter, of if we both contributed then a notation will be made in that section. You do not need to read the "post episode" series that I wrote in order to know these characters.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters that are owned by the Xena people. I own the names/characters that they don't own.

**xxxxx**

End of Season 6: Post Episode 134:

"Gabrielle, that feather is of utmost importance to all Egyptians and gods alike. If you were willing to get it back for me, I'd make it worth your while. Anything you wish for could be yours." He stepped closer to her and whispered "Anything."

"No one can give me what I want." She scoffed as she turned back to the entrance and continued walking to the door.

"I can give you Xena." His voice was confident, but he didn't sound like a sales man. He sounded honest.

She stopped dead in her tracks. Without turning around she replied, "At what cost? I don't like to be indebted to the gods."

"No debt. It would be payment for you returning the feather to me." He walked closer to her as she turned to face him once again.

"I'm not in the mood for games, Anubis." _I just wish I could have had more time with her. Gods I miss her. No gods would help Xena and I without wanting more from us. _She turns on her heels and storms out of the temple, her mind made up. She will have to live a life without Xena.

xxxx

by Jinxie

Anubis grinned, "As you wish."

…..It was a warm evening in Amphipolis as Xena played in a mud puddle. Yesterday it had rained all day, forcing her indoors to play by herself. Lyceus was sick and in bed; Toris was out hunting with his friend and his friend's father. She didn't particularly like playing alone, though she would never tell anyone such a thing. At twelve years old, she believed in acting tougher than she felt.

She was currently making an Amazon palace out of the wet, sticky mud. Hearing a noise, she looked up to find a woman and her daughter talking near the door of the inn. She perked up her hearing and tried to figure out what they were saying.

"Gabrielle, I'm sure I can find work here. I heard the innkeeper is looking for help in the kitchen. If not, we'll try another town, then head home. Ok?" the woman said to her blonde daughter.

The young girl was about Xena's age. She was a toe head blonde, shorter than average. "Ok mom, I'll wait out here." As her mom handed her satchel to Gabrielle, the blonde looked around. She spotted Xena in the mud and smiled. Her mom walked away into the inn. Xena returned the smile to be polite, but she didn't take too well to strangers. She shifted her position in the mud, sitting up on her knees. She plowed her hand into the palace she built, destroying it easily. "Why did you do that?"

Xena looked up to see green eyes staring down at her. "I was done with it." She shrugged then stood up. Gabrielle cringed at all the mud on the dark haired girl. A little mud splashed on her when Xena shook her hands to get rid of the excess gunk. Gabrielle quickly wiped it off and made another face. "Don't like mud?" Xena asked, noticing the faces the girl had made.

She shook her head, "It's smelly and gross. My mom hates it when I get dirty because she has to do extra laundry in the river. Doesn't your mom get mad?"

"No." Xena turned around and started walking to the back of the inn. Gabrielle followed her. She stopped when she heard footsteps and turned around. Her eyebrow cocked at the blonde.

Gabrielle stopped walking when she noticed Xena had stopped. "What's your name? I'm Gabrielle." Without much of a breath, she continued, "This town is so nice. Do you live near the inn? I hope my mom can get a job here. We've been wandering from town to town for over a month, picking up odd jobs here and there. We really need something steady. I really like this town; it seems very nice. And it's close to home, which is great because I miss home. Do you like living here? I be you do. Who wouldn't, right? I mean, gosh, look how nice everyone is."

Xena kept walking, letting the girl chatter away, without answering any of her questions. She finally reached the back of the inn and stepped up on the porch. "Well, this is home." She opened the door to go in and stopped from closing it when Gabrielle tried to walk in. _Why is she following me?_

"May I come in? My mom is in here trying to get a job." Her green eyes twinkled at her potential new friend.

"Sure, come in." Xena sighed, as she was not in the mood for another chatterbox. She could barely handle one. Her brother Lyceus never seemed to shut up. for Xena, the worst thing about chatterboxes was all their questions. And she felt so much pressure to pay attention the entire time. Her attention span was quite short.

"Xena!" Cyrene yelled at her daughter as she tracked mud through the kitchen. She got down in Xena's face, which was only slightly lower than hers because Xena was so tall for her age, and scolded her, "What have I told you about washing off before you come inside?"

"I'm sorry mom! But she was following me and I was just trying to lose…" She trailed off realizing what she was about to say in front of Gabrielle. She glanced over and noticed the new girl's smile fade.

Cyrene grabbed Xena by the ear and guided her back out the door. "Wash up, now." She wiped her now muddy hand on the towel that was sitting on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about that, Hecuba. What were we talking about?"

The older blonde woman looked up from watching her daughter's heart being crushed. "Oh, I… Oh yes, we were talking about me living in the room off the kitchen." She pointed towards the door, hoping to be able to see it before they made arrangements for the job.

Cyrene nodded and led her to the back. "It's small, not much room for anything except sleeping. The bed is provided. You're meals would be free, just eat whatever meals you cook. Did I mention the job is just temporary? It's my busy season right now."

"Yes you did. Any work helps, no matter the duration." She walked into the room and noticed that Gabrielle was hot on her heals. She looked down at her daughter then up at the innkeeper, "Cyrene, this is my daughter Gabrielle."

Cyrene smiled, "Welcome Gabrielle. It's nice to meet you. I see you met Xena?"

"If you mean the mean girl that was covered in mud, then yes I met her." Gabrielle was more than a little hurt and mad. She crossed her arms and huffed.

"Gabrielle! Don't call her names." Hecuba looked at Cyrene, her eyes begging for forgiveness. Cyrene just waved it off.

"But mom, you heard her! She was not very nice to me, trying to get rid of me like that. All I was doing is trying to get to know her and make friends." Gabrielle sat on the bed with her arms still crossed. They heard the back door open and Xena walked in. She looked to her right, through the open door to the bedroom. Deciding to avoid the blonde girl, she quickly made her way through the kitchen and up to her room.

Cyrene looked back at Gabrielle, "I'm sorry for what Xena said. She can be very rude sometimes. She keeps to herself a lot, which means she isn't use to talking a lot. Give her another chance; I'm sure you'll get along fine. Now, Hecuba… Do you want to start tomorrow for breakfast?"

The two women walked back into the kitchen making arrangements for Hecuba's new job. As they did so, Gabrielle walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room. She found the room completely empty. She walked over to the nearest wall and began to study the paintings she saw there.

A few moments later, her mother walked out into the dining area and told Gabrielle that it was time for them to get settled for the night. She went into their new room and unpacked her bags, then got dressed into her pajamas. "Mom, is it ok if I sit at one of the tables and read before bed?"

Hecuba smiled at her daughter, happy that she had picked up an interest in poetry. "Of course, honey. Only for a little while, though. If you see Xena again, try to be nice."

Gabrielle gave her mom a smile even though the name Xena made her want to snarl. She put a blanket around her shoulders to keep her warm. There was a fire roaring in the dining room, so she decided to sit next to it for her reading. She quickly dove into the scroll in front of her, losing herself in the words; shutting out everything else.

A few minutes later, Xena walked in with her arms full of wood. She saw Gabrielle next to the fire. _Great. That's all I need is someone to talk to and keep me from going to bed. _She continued forward to put the firewood in its rack. Instead of carefully setting it down, she dropped it from her standing position. The noise was so loud, Gabrielle jumped a foot in the air and lost her grip on the scroll she was reading. It happened to land in the fire, quickly catching.

"No!" Gabrielle dove towards the fire and tried to reach in to get her precious poetry, but to no avail; the whole thing was on fire and too hot to touch. She sat on her hands and knees looking into the flames as they licked at the parchment, destroying her favorite scroll. Tears came unwelcomed, flowing down her cheeks. Anger began to burn inside her. _That's it, this girl is not someone I want to be friends with!_ She stood up and faced Xena, glaring at her steadily.

Xena looked up from the flames, shrugging, "I had to put the wood down."

"That's all you have to say for yourself! You are such a jerk!" She grabbed her blanket and ran to her room, crying.

Xena looked back at the fire, feeling bad for what she did. But the girl had it coming in her mind; after all, the girl got her in trouble with the mud in the kitchen ordeal.

xxxx

A couple of days went by with more than a few hitches. The two twelve-year-old girls seemed to annoy each other at every turn. Cyrene had been more than upset at Xena's treatment of the new girl, but Xena had an excuse every time. In turn, Hecuba begged her daughter to try her best to get along. She did not want to lose her job because her daughter couldn't get along with the innkeeper's daughter.

One particular fight demanded the attention of both mothers. Xena had acquired her younger brother's help in playing a prank on Gabrielle. The prank ended in Gabrielle being covered in mud and bird feathers. She hated being dirty. Without thinking, she ran into the front door of the inn and spread mud over the dining area. Many of Cyrene's patrons were upset and it caused the room to smell. She had to close the tavern early that night.

In retaliation, Gabrielle put some of her mother's perfume on Xena while she slept. She did not just dab it on, she drenched the tall brunette with it. Of course, being a tomboy made it so that Xena was furious at smelling girly. Xena woke and spotted Gabrielle when she was trying to leave, but Gabrielle ran for her life. Unfortunately, the perfume bottle had broken during the chase.

The punishment was something that both girls hated; mucking stalls…together.

by Wifey

"Okay," the dark haired girl started, "which job do you want to do? I figured we could split the work since there's so much to do…" Xena trailed off as her thoughts went to the vast amount of work they had to do on the stalls.

Her brothers typically did this, but like Xena, they hated it and only performed a half-assed job to get by. For Toris and Lyceus, this usually meant just throwing new hay on top of the old to create what looked like new bedding. Less than an hour of work and they were free for the day. However, Cyrene had caught on when the boys' lack of effort had begun to manifest itself in nasty ways; horse hair was caking in the corners, manure and hay were sticking together, creating a thick, smelly layer of rancid plaster, and the guests' horses were coming out dirtier than when they went in. Not only was this bad for business, it was bad for the poor horses.

Gabrielle felt her stomach turn at the mess before her eyes. Flies. Dirt. Animal Hair. Poop. And not just in one stall, but several. "I say we do one half of a stall each. You start clearing out the straw on one side," she swallowed hard at the realization that it wasn't straw, but manure mixed with old moldy, straw, "and I'll do the other side." She glanced up at the taller girl. _This isn't fair! She's the one that's being rude! She's the reason I've gotten filthy and lost a scroll… _She felt her temperature rise as her anger grew. "Or you could just do it all yourself since this is your fault."

Xena's eye darted to Gabrielle. "My fault? _**My**_ fault?" She motioned to herself as her eyes widened in disbelief. "This is your fault! You're such a brat! If you hadn't had been so annoying _**I**_ wouldn't be here right now!" Her fists clenched at her sides.

"You're such a jer-" Gabrielle was cut off by the sound her mother and Cyrene both clearing their throat. The girls flung their heads around to meet their mother's stares.

Cyrene folded her arms. "Now girls, we told you both that fighting was strictly forbidden during this task. Xena, I want you to apologize for calling Gabrielle a brat and annoying. You know she is neither of those things." Cyrene said, holding up her hand to stop her daughter's protests. "Not a word."

"And Gabrielle," Hecuba said, speaking to her child. "You need to apologize to Xena for blaming this all on her. You are both doing this job because it needs to be done. You are responsible for what happened just as much as Xena is." The blonde's mother said softly as her gaze turned to her new boss.

Cyrene nodded her head agreement and looked at the two young girls before her. "Hecuba is right girls, and please try to understand that this is not only a good way for you two to get to know each other, but it is also a big help to me. I don't trust the boys to do this right, but I'm trusting you girls to. Their punishment for their behavior is much worse than mucking stall, believes me." The innkeeper sighed as she saw the state her horse stalls were in. They were filthy.

The woman gestured to the kids. "Well, we said apologize…" Cyrene said as she waved her hand.

Hecuba gestured to her little girl. "Gabrielle…"

The youths, almost in unison gazed at the ground, then each other, and then back at the ground. "Sorry." They both said softly at the same time.

Cyrene motioned to Hecuba, who gave her approval at the apologies. They were quiet, but it was probably all they were going to be getting out of them at that time. Without another word the women turned to leave.

"Remember, no fighting." Hecuba called out one last time before they were out of sight. "Sorry for all the trouble, Cyre-"

"Don't even worry about, Hecuba. Kids will be kids." The innkeeper assured her.

While Cyrene had originally intended to make boys do this, her and Hecuba found that this was a fitting lesson for the girls. It would teach them hard work…and not destroy each other's property, or else they would have to muck stalls. For her boys' punishment, Cyrene decided that thoroughly cleaning out the guest's waste buckets was good enough to teach them not to lie to mother. Like the stalls, Cyrene and Hecuba promised to check their work; warning them they would have to do it again and again until it was satisfactory.

xxxx

The girls watched their mothers disappear, and turned back to the mess before them. Xena looked down, feeling embarrassed at getting yelled at by her mother. She decided that she would at least try to be nice to Gabrielle. If anything it would make the day pass quicker. "I think your idea was good. We'll both clean a side, then both put new straw down. I'll get the heavy stuff since I ruined your scroll." She was really trying to present an olive branch to the blonde.

Gabrielle nodded with a slight bit of hope that Xena was going to start being nice to her. "And while you're moving the heavy stuff out of the stalls, I'll try to break up the dried manure so that it's easier to shovel out." Gabrielle said, a smile growing on face. She wasn't looking forward to the dirt, but she was looking forward to Xena and her being nice to each other for once. She hoped Xena was a nice person, deep down.

They each smiled at the other then began their tasks.

xxxx

by Jinxie

Mid morning approached and Xena was hungry. She had long since burned off her breakfast and sweated out all the water she had drunk. Deciding it was time for a snack, she looked at the new girl. "You hungry? I think I'll go get a snack for us."

Gabrielle nodded, so Xena walked towards the inn. She found a fresh loaf of nut bread in the kitchen. She licked her lips, excited for the tasty treat. Since her mother and Hecuba were not in sight, she quickly grabbed the bread and ran outside. When was around the corner, she realized she had forgotten to fill up her canteen. Instead of risk being caught with the whole loaf of bread, she decided to go straight back to the barn.

Gabrielle was sitting on a bale of hay, leaning back against the horse stall. She looked like she was asleep. "Hey, I got some nut bread."

The blonde girl immediately perked up at the mention of her favorite food. "Nut bread! I love nut bread. I could eat it for every meal." Gabrielle leaned forward and took it from Xena's hands.

"I've got to go get some water really quick. I'll be right back!" She darted out of the barn and ran to the well behind the inn. She pulled the bucket up and filled the canteen with fresh water. After a few swigs, her stomach rumbled with hunger. She jogged back to the barn to find that the bread was completely gone. "Where is the bread?" Gabrielle looked up at her with a guilt-ridden look upon her face. Xena noticed crumbs around her mouth. The smile she had on her face fell to a frown.

"Uh.." The blonde wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "I ate it?"

"I'm confused. Are you asking me if you ate it or telling me? How could you eat a whole loaf of bread so quickly! I was gone no more than a couple minutes." Xena walked over and looked on the ground all around the bale of hay. She was hoping that Gabrielle was tricking her.

"Xena, I really did eat it. I didn't hide it." She looked down thirstily at the canteen that was now on the floor. "Can I have some water?"

Xena glared at her as she handed the water over. "I can't believe you ate it all. What am I supposed to eat?" Her stomach growled right on cue.

"I'll go get you something else." The blonde stood up and walked out of the barn.

"By the gods, I didn't know someone could eat so much in such a small amount of time!" She sat back against the stall and waited to her friend to come back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Chapter 2**

**By Jinxie**

One day, Xena decided to go fishing to get some alone time. All this work just trying to avoid fighting with Gabrielle was wearing her out. The lake was beautiful this time of year. The leaves were bright green and the air was warm and soothing.

Fishing always seemed to calm her nerves. Being alone gave her sense of belonging, in the most unexpected way. She felt like she belonged in nature. Many times she wished she didn't live in a town; she'd rather live in the forest or somewhere away from people.

She found her favorite fishing spot, which was near the inlet of a small stream. She seemed to catch the fattest fish in this area. She set up her fishing pole, which was made of a sturdy stick. She had crafted it herself, attaching a string and hook to it. Once she tossed out the line, with a worm for bait, and then secured the handle in between two rocks. She laid back into the grass and put her hands behind her head to watch the clouds.

She took a deep breath and released it, happy to have some quiet. It seemed lately it had been in short supply. There was an abundance of noise since Gabrielle had moved in. _Why does she feel the need to talk constantly?_

As she closed her eyes, she heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. She did not move, however, she chose to listen instead. It did not sound like an animal. Another noise and she knew exactly what it was. _This is what I get for thinking about her._ She looked over as Gabrielle walked out of the bushes and into the stream. Xena sat up and watched the blonde girl out of the corner of her eye.

Gabrielle was playing in the water, throwing it in the air then running under the droplets. Soon she was laughing out loud, enjoying the water against her skin. The day had grown quite hot, which she was not used to. Back home in Potedia it was not quite so stifling. She knew Xena was watching her, but chose to ignore her. She splashed in the water more, enjoying the feeling, like when she was a small child.

Xena was getting annoyed with the noise. She stood up and stomped over to the stream. "You are scaring the fish away with all your noise."

The blonde girl looked over and smiled, "It's fun though. You should try it." She flicked a little bit of water at Xena, hoping that the girl would lighten up a bit. She looked so mad all the time.

Xena wiped the droplets of water off her face and sneered at Gabrielle. "I came up here to be alone and to fish. You are ruining that." She turned and walked away in a huff.

"Well at least I know how to have some fun." Gabrielle said to herself, since Xena was out of hearing range.

"I heard that."

_Oops. She has good hearing! _She remembered back to the day they mucked stalls. They seemed to bond just a little during that horribly disgusting chore. Maybe they could get along if she tried. _Mother would be pleased, that's for sure._

She walked out of the water and over to Xena's side. The warrior was not in a relaxed position as she had been when Gabrielle first came to the lake. Instead, she was sitting up, her knees drawn to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around them. She sat next to the brooding girl and sighed. "This is a really nice place. Do you come up here a lot?"

At first, she didn't think that Xena would answer, but she finally spoke. "Yeah, it is. Lyceus and I come up here to fish a lot."

"What's the biggest fish you've ever caught?"

A smile crossed Xena's face. "Solaris."

"Solaris? You named the fish?" Gabrielle thought it was a bit odd, but she wanted to be careful not to tease Xena since she was trying to build a truce.

"Yes. He was the biggest fish we've ever caught, but he always gets away. We've never landed him. He is very smart." Xena's eyes danced as she continued to describe the fish to Gabrielle.

It was an hour later when she finally finished telling her tales of the great fish. It was the most Gabrielle had ever heard Xena talk. The story gave her new understanding and insight into her new friend, if she dared to call her that. The second Xena was done telling her tales, Gabrielle began to tell a story about Cetus; the sea monster that ravaged the land in revenge.

Another hour had past, neither girl noticing the late hour during Gabrielle's fascinating tale. The sky had darkened and only the stars shown any light. Finally, the blonde girl noticed the sky. "We should probably head home. Mom is going to be so mad at me."

Xena looked around and in a rush packed up her things. "Don't worry, I know the way well. We won't get lost in the dark."

During the walk home, Gabrielle stayed close to her friend. Being outside at night always scared her. The last time she felt safe at night was with her father. Her musings brought emotions to the surface that she didn't know were lurking inside. She blurted, "I miss my father."

Xena looked over her shoulder at her new friend. "What happened to him?" She knew very little of the two new women that were living with them. The only thing she really had knowledge of was that they were from Potedia.

"Nothing happened to him. He is back home, working on our family farm. Mom and I have been traveling around for a few months looking for work and taking it where we could get it. We were really excited when we heard that your mom was looking for help. But I haven't seen my dad in months." Gabrielle stopped paying attention to her footing as she told her tale. She slipped in a puddle of water, but somehow she didn't hit the ground. She looked up into the blue eyes of her friend. "Thanks."

Xena smiled and pulled the blonde girl to her feet. "Watch your step. That sucks about your dad. I didn't realize that you still have family and a home in Potedia. I thought you were here for good."

Gabrielle sighed, "We are here until the work ends. I like it here though. I just miss him so much. He is the one that taught me to read and write."

Xena was silent for a moment, not quite sure what else she should say regarding this subject. The conversation brought memories back of her father. From what she could recall, he seemed to be a good man. However, from the stories her mother had told her, he wasn't. "I know what it's like to miss your father."

Green eyes perked up, excited that this girl was opening up to her more. She loved getting to know people. "I've noticed that your father is not around. Is he off working somewhere?"

"No. He died in our stable five years ago when I was only seven."

"I'm so sorry. That must have been so hard." Gabrielle reached forward and gently put her hand on her friend's shoulder in comfort.

Xena stopped walking and looked back at her friend. She could barely make out her face in the darkness. "I still don't really know what happened to him. One day he went to the temple of Ares and came back really mad. He and my mother fought constantly. I'd never heard them be so mean to each other…" The brunette trailed off as she turned back around and resumed walking.

Gabrielle felt saddened for her friend. Her parents never fought, but she knew that was unusual. Most of her friends back home described fights between their parents that scared her just hearing about it. "When did he die?"

"The next day, my mother found him dead in the stables. She said she had heard a commotion early that morning, as if he was fighting with someone. She put on her boots and ran out there to find him slain." Xena wiped a tear from her eye. "I didn't know him all that well. I guess as well as you can at seven years old. He fought in a lot of wars, so he wasn't home much. I still miss having him around though."

As they rounded the corner of the road to the inn, they heard their mothers' hollering for them. "Shoot! I'm dead." Gabrielle said as she quickly moved past Xena. "Mom!"

"Gabrielle!" She hollered back towards the sound of her daughter's voice. Soon her daughter and Xena were in view. "Where have you been?"

She ran up and hugged her mom, "I'm so sorry. It's my fault." The blonde looked at Cyrene, whose face was distorted in anger as she looked at Xena. "Please, don't be mad at Xena. It was my fault completely."

Xena's blue eyes darted over to meet green eyes. "It wasn't her fault. It was mine. I wasn't paying attention to the time." She looked up at her mom with a pleading look.

Hecuba and Cyrene looked at each other, not quite sure what to say. Their daughters were actually defending each other, which was a far cry from the other day when they wanted to hurt each other. "How about you two go inside and get cleaned up for bed?"

The girls looked at each other as if their lives had been spared. They ran next to each other, giggling with excitement at their freedom.

The two mothers looked at each other and sighed. "Well, I'm not sure if we should punish them or just be thankful that they are getting along." Hecuba said as she began the trek back to the inn. 

"Maybe we should give them a pass this time. After all, that stable looks spotless," she laughed at the expense of the two girls. "It is nice to see them defend each other. I wasn't expecting that."

"Me neither." Hecuba looked at her boss and smiled.

When they entered the inn, they heard giggling coming from the bathing room as the girls cleaned themselves in preparation for slumber.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Chapter 3**

**By Jinxie's Wifey**

Blue eyes peeked out the crack in her wooden bedroom door. There was no one in sight. She silently moved to the window and looked out in as stealthy of a manner as she could. There was no one near her window either. _Good. The coast is clear._ Xena thought to herself.

She crept over to her closet and moved some objects out of the way, revealing a small wooden hatch in the floor. Pulling it open, the young girl felt her heart beat a little faster at the sight of her stash. Small wooden and metal warriors lay at the bottom of the cubby space. They had been worn slightly from play over the years, yet they still remained in excellent condition. Xena reached down and grabbed one. She smiled at the sight of it. It reminded her of her father. He had given them to her long ago and, since his death, they had become like precious treasures to the girl.

Her thumb rubbed the toy warrior, removing some of the dust that had built up. She had forgotten to cover them with a rag, like she normally did, the last time she put them away. This one had his sword drawn overhead, and he was standing in a combat stance. Something Xena had mimicked herself from time to time as she battled invisible enemies.

The young girl did one last glance around to ensure she had privacy and, once she was convinced the coast was clear, she pulled her miniature army from the hole in the floor. Several minutes passed as Xena enacted battle strategies she created. This wasn't typical child play; this was more thoughtful, almost mimicking how a general might plan out attacks on a battlefield. Her mind would race and fingers tingle when she would find holes in one army's plan, and she would find herself working out ways to keep her warriors out of harm's way as much as possible.

If Xena had been a boy, she felt, she wouldn't have had to hide these trinkets from everyone. She certainly had no desire to be dirty gross boy, but even at her tender young age, she knew that it was world that favored the male gender. Her father had given these to her in secret, knowing how it might look to be giving a girl play warriors and swords. He wanted to protect his child from even more difficulties resulting from her tomboyish behaviors.

Xena's tomboy personality was nothing to be mocked in reality. Where some, more conservative people may see her as strange, most would see a budding genius. Her playtime was figuring out the best defense against attacks, both personal and on larger scales. Her mother had noted to herself, that her child had an uncanny ability of predicting an opponents moves and attacks. She noticed this a she watched the young girl play with her brothers.

"Xena!" Gabrielle called out, her voice muffled from behind the door. "Your mom wants you." The blonde knocked gently on the door to her new friend's bedroom. She heard Xena shuffle around quickly, followed by a loud thump. "Xena?"

"OUCH!" The brunette called out. Gabrielle's voice startled her and in the midst of trying to hide her toys back in their cubbyhole, she had tripped and hit her head on the closet wall.

"I'm coming in, Xena!" Gabrielle could only imagine what had happened to her new friend. Was she bleeding? Was there someone trying to kidnap her? Her mind raced with outlandish possibilities, the simplest answer, that Xena had just tripped, never entered her thoughts.

The door flew open and Xena help up her hands as to block Gabrielle's view on the toys, which lay scattered across floor as a result of the fall. "Don't come in!" Xena yelled, but it was too late. Her eyes widened as she saw her friend looking at the toy warriors on the floor. "Are you okay?" The blonde asked, her attention to Xena's toys was short lived.

"Yeah, you scared me and I tripped." Xena said as she hurriedly tried to get the toys put away. She stopped when Gabrielle picked one up and inspected it.

Gabrielle looked at the figure in her hand. It was an archer, his bow and arrow detachable from the rest of his body. "These are neat. Where did you get them?"

Xena stared at her. She wasn't making fun of her like her brothers did when they caught her playing with them, nor was she scolding her like an old woman did once when Xena took them outside. She softly spoke, "M…my…my dad gave them to me."

"Oh, well they must be very special to you then," the blonde said gently, "I can see you take pretty good care of them." She smiled at Xena. These fit her personality perfectly. Plus, if they were from her father, there's no telling how special they would be to Xena.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hecuba held tightly onto her daughter's hand as they pushed their way through the large mid-day crowd at the local bazaar. "Gabrielle," her mother said as the reached a clearing in the crowd, "I've got a large list of things that Xena's mother needs for the inn. I'm going to need your help getting everything."

Gabrielle nodded up at her mother and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ears. "Mother…" her voice was sheepish and nervous. "Do you remember when you promised that you would take me to get supplies for me to write with?"

Hecuba felt a grin spread across her face. She had told her child that if she worked hard and saved dinars that she would take her to marketplace and help her get scrolls and a quill for writing. That market was busy today, but she did promise. "Well, if you can help me get all of these things on this list, I will take you get what you need to start writing, okay?" She felt her heart melt as her daughter's eyes lit up.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Gabrielle exclaimed. No longer sheepish or shy, she quickly took the list from her mother's hands and starting delegating what she could carry on her own and what she would need her mom's help with. With two minutes, she had a game plan that would get them in and out and on their way to purchase scrolls and quills within the hour.

Her mother was amazed how well her daughter could spring into action when something she wanted was on the line. "Okay, now, Gabrielle, we are not splitting up in this market place, but that doesn't mean we can't get all this shopping done relatively fast." She said as spotted what she needed to make the day go fast and easier: a donkey with a cart attached to it. Hecuba opened the coin purse and counted out enough money for animal. Thankfully, it had been on Cyrene list of goods needed.

After an hour and a half of walking, fighting crowds, arguing with merchants as well as other customers, Hecuba and Gabrielle had crossed of everything on their list. The young girl's face was unable to control the smile that spread across it as they neared the merchant selling quills and scrolls. Gabrielle had saved up what she had hoped was enough money to get her future, as a Bard, started.

"Gabby." Her mother spoke gently to her as she eyed the price listings behind the sleeping merchant. "I think you're a little short for both a quill and a scroll." The sign hung crookedly on the wall, spelling out the prices for the supplies.

'Scrolls: 3 Dinars

Quills: 2 Dinars.

NO DEALS!'

Gabrielle was one dinar short.

The blonde girl sifted through her own small coin purse. Four dinars, some lint, and small pebble Xena gave to her as peace offering one time. She felt tears well up in eyes and her throat started to hurt a little. _All that work for nothing._ "Um…I guess I don't have enough."

Hecuba felt for Gabrielle. This purchase was all she had talked about for weeks and now she to only come up short must have been very disappointing for her daughter. She patted Gabrielle on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, baby, we'll come back once I get paid and get this for you, okay? I'll help you out." Her heart sunk a little as her daughter's chin began to quiver.

"Sir," Gabrielle's voice squeaked out, "I'll give you three dinars for a quill and scrolls." The sleeping merchant didn't budge. "SIR." Her voice became loud enough to wake him. "I'LL GIVE YOU THREE DINARS FOR A QUILL AND SCROLLS!"

The merchant snorted as he came too, wiping the droll off his chin. "Wh…What?" His voice was gruff. "What did you say young girl?"

Standing tall and appearing unafraid, Gabrielle again presented her offer to him. "I will give you three dinars for a quill and scrolls."

The merchant laughed and pointed to the sign. "No bartering, sweetheart."

Hecuba watched with wide eyes as her child walked over to the scrolls and quills. She was ready and waiting to come to the defense of her child if the man became too aggressive with her.

Gabrielle picked up a quill and glanced around the merchant's shop. "I don't see anyone else here buying these, sir, and to be honest, I would be shocked if anyone would pay more than dinar for these quills." For being as small as she was, she did her best to appear as though she knew what she was doing; that she was worldly woman who bartered quite often. This wasn't totally untrue, as her travels with her mother meant that they would end up making deals for room board when they were short on money. "I will give you two dinars for these scrolls and a one dinar for the quill. Take it or leave it."

The merchant glared down at the blonde. She was insulting his product. _Who the hell does this kid think she is? _"Alright, play time is over. Leave."

"Okay," Hecuba said, finally feeling it was time to step in. "Let's go. I'll bring you back when we have more money." She felt Gabrielle resist against her gentle pushing.

"It's okay, mother, I'm sure he will be out of business by that time. Especially with these prices." Gabrielle swallowed. _Where is this coming from?! Be cool. Be cool. Xena will be so proud of me if this works! _Once again, Gabrielle tried to bring attention to the lack of customers. "I don't even think he's made a sale today."

Hecuba rubbed her temples and thought to herself. _This is it. I am going to have to write back home and inform the family of the death of my child. _"That's enough, Gabby." She said through gritted teeth.

"Little girl, I'll have you know that I do just fine. I sell more than enough at these prices." He picked up a scroll and showed it to her. "This is high quality scroll, these are worth what the price says."

Gabrielle swallowed again. She felt her mind racing so fast she thought her head was going to detach itself and take off from the rest of her body. Then it came to her. "Okay, so if you do as much business as you say, then surely you'd be able to take a small loss here and there."

The man laughed. "You don't know much about business, do you?"

"Well, I do know that a happy customer is a repeat customer. And I talk a lot, as you now know, so you can only imagine how much I write. Or should write. I drive people crazy with how much I talk. I was going to offer four dinars to you, but I'm sure you won't take that…" She took a breath and continued. "If you took pebbles, I would give this pebble my friend Xena gave me. She gave it to me after she tried to trip me. She felt bad and offered it to me. I think it's strange but…"

The man's eyes widened at the speed in which this kid was talking, not to mention the sheer quantity of words that were coming forth in such a short period of time. He found it both funny and exhausting.

"…Xena's really nice when she wants to be. When we first met she was a big jerk though, because she got mud all over me on purpose. I had to clean stalls with her, which was as stinky as she can be sometimes. I wanted to write all this down in a scroll, since I have no one to really talk to, but you're being so nice and chatting with me. Especially after I was being rude to you about your prices…"

Hecuba and merchant locked eyes. "Is she always…?" He pointed to Gabrielle. Hecuba nodded. "She'll keep going."

"Oh, there's this fishing spot we like to go to-"

"Okay!"

Gabrielle stopped talking and looked up at him. "Okay, what?"

"Four Dinars. Take your stuff. Here's an extra scroll if you just keep your mouth shut the rest of the time you're in the store." His head hurt. He took the money and handed her the supplies. He felt relief wash over him as the mother and daughter left with big smiles on their face.

Hecuba wrapped her arm around her daughter. "Gabby, what was all that you were telling him about Xena?"

"Well, I just told him all that stuff because I figured if I kept talking he would want me to be quite like everyone else does. Only he had a way to shut me up…" She held up the quill and scrolls, indicating them as the mean in which the merchant could silence her.

A huge smile spread across Hecuba's face. "I have quite the smart girl. So what are you going to write about?"

Looking at the blank parchment, Gabrielle thought of endless possibilities of stories that could be told, but only one stuck out to her at that moment. "Okay, so there's this warrior who's a girl…."


	4. Chapter 4

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Chapter 4**

**By Jinxie**

_Her blue eyes were scary. And the warlord wanted to cry._

"No scratch that," Gabrielle said as she ran ink through the words, making it unreadable. "Hm, let's see… her piercing blue eyes?" She continued to mumble to herself as she furiously wrote. "Perfect. 'Her piercing blue eyes scared the warlord so bad that he wet himself.'" She laughed, loving where this story was going.

"Gabrielle? Dinner." Xena knocked on the door by the kitchen.

"I'll be right there." She blew on the ink so it would dry and put everything neatly away in it's correct spot. She walked out the door into the kitchen, finding her mother working hard to get dinner served into bowls. Her mom had worked most of the day on this meal, trying to make it perfect.

Gabrielle grabbed three of the bowls full of soup, careful not to spill them, and backed herself out the kitchen door to the dinning room. Cyrene and her three children were at the table waiting for super.

Seeing Gabrielle almost trip over a chair, Xena moved quickly to get it out of the way. She smiled at her friend then grabbed one of the bowls so that it didn't spill. "Thanks."

Xena just smiled in response, glad she could help her friend. She sat down with her bowl and began eating as Gabrielle went into to fetch more bowls. She and her mom came out a moment later with a few more bowls and some bread.

After sitting down, Cyrene struck up conversation. "So, Gabrielle, I heard that you bought your first scroll and quill. What are you writing about?"

Gabrielle's face brightened considerably, not that she wasn't in a good mood before. She glanced at Xena and her brothers. _What if they laugh at my story? Mom thought it sounded good, but she has to say that because she is my mother. _

Instead of divulging the truth of her story about a warrior woman, she told a fib. "I'm writing a poem. Nothing too interesting." She glanced at her mom, who looked a little caught off guard that her daughter had lied. Normally, Gabrielle only told the truth. The blonde girl looked down at her soup and let the conversations around her fade out. She was sad that she felt she had to hide this story. Maybe she could tell it to little kids around the village, but she knew Toris would laugh at her.

xxxx

The next day, Gabrielle decided to test her story out among the young village kids. After she was done with her chores, she wandered over to a play area where most kids spent their day. She had thought about it all night; she wanted to see if she could get people to believe that her character was real. Maybe then, Toris wouldn't laugh at her.

"Hey everyone!" She waved at the kids, who were only a couple years younger than her. "I just heard something cool!"

The leader of a small contingency of boys wandered over, "Cool? How cool?

"It's about a new warrior! This warrior is tougher than ten men."

Suddenly she had the interest of all the children. They quickly gathered around and sat on the ground next to her feet. The excitement was palpable. As soon as they were all settled, she launched into her tale.

"There is a mean warlord trying to attack small villages like ours. He is tall, evil and smelly. He wants everyone to give him their dinars and food! But don't worry. There is a warrior out there helping everyone. The warrior's name is Athenias."

"A girl?" a small girl squealed. "I didn't know girls were warriors."

"That's because they aren't, dummy." Ariston replied, staring at the little girl. He stuck his tongue out at her.

Gabrielle took back over, "Yes, a girl warrior. She is fierce, with blue eyes, big muscles, and the strength of ten men. She fights to save everyone in trouble by using a sword and fighting skills. She can jump high in the sky and flip ten times before landing on the ground. She jumps over people's heads and kicks them from behind."

"Is she a demi-god like Hercules?"

"No, she is just like us!"

xxxx

The next morning, Xena woke early and opened her cubby. She dug down deep and found what she was looking for; her wooden sword that her father had given her a long time ago. She dusted it off with her shirt, and then stuck it in her belt.

She snuck out the kitchen door into the fresh morning air. It was a little chilly, but not enough to stop her from doing what she wanted. Immediately she headed for the woods. Once she found a spot far enough away from town, she took out her sword. She moved it around in the air, like she'd seen her father do with his real sword.

After a few minutes, she found a steady rhythm. The sound of the air moving against it made her excited. It felt good to flex her muscles like this, warming them in just a few short minutes.

Once she was warm, she stopped the motion and decided to try standing like a warrior. She spread her feet apart, one slightly behind the other. Then she bent just a little at the knees. She held the sword out in front of her, tip to the sky. _I wish I could see myself so I know if I'm doing it right._

She quickly grew frustrated because her stance didn't feel quite right. Then again, she wasn't sure what 'right' was. Discarding the sword on the ground, she decided to try some flips. Yesterday night, she had heard about a woman warrior that was somewhere out there, saving lives and helping people. She didn't know if this warrior, Athenias, was real or if it was just rumors. But she was deeply inspired.

She bent her knees deeply and sprung into the air. She did not try to flip yet, afraid she wouldn't get high enough, which she didn't. "I don't even know how to land." She said to herself.

She thought for a moment then noticed a large boulder nearby. She crawled on top of it and stood up. The ground was about four feet below her. "Well, here goes nothing." She squatted down again and then bounced off the rock. This time, she tucked her legs up and pushed her body forward into a flip. Half way through, she panicked and let go of her tuck. With a loud thud, she ended up on her back on the hard ground. Air was forced out of her lungs and it was hard for her to breath. Tears worked their way out of her eyes due to the pain.

After a minute or two, her breathing was back to normal. She wiped her face off and stood up, glaring at the boulder. She noticed that it was almost sunrise now, which meant it was time to go home.

xxxx

Gabrielle had woken early, her bladder was full and needed relief. Quietly, she went through the kitchen to the back door. She reached for the handle, but instead was hit in the head with the door. "Ouch." She rubbed her head then looked up to see blue eyes staring at her.

Xena whispered, "You ok? I didn't know you were there, sorry."

"It's ok. I was just going to go out to relive myself. Hey, what's in your hand?" she pointed at the sword.

Xena tried to hide it but knew she hadn't fooled her friend. "It's a wooden sword." She pulled it from her belt and showed it to Gabrielle. "My dad gave it to me a long time ago. I never got a chance to use it."

The blonde girl looked at it in admiration. "It's really cool. Why did you take it to the bathroom with you?" She rubbed her eyes, sleep still lingering.

"I wasn't in the bathroom. I was in the woods…practicing. Please don't tell anyone?"

Gabrielle shook her head, "I promise. Maybe someday you will be a warrior."_ She trusts me with secrets! We really are becoming friends. _She was very happy with this new facet of their friendship.

Xena shook her head, "I doubt it. I'm no Athenias. Did you hear about her?" Her eyes grew big, as did her excitement. "I'll never be like her, able to take on so many men at once and beat them. It would be amazing though."

The small blonde smiled and patted her friend on the back. She parted from her friend and wandered outside in the cool morning air. "You will be someday, Xena. You will be a hero." She wasn't sure why she had said that, but she felt compelled to say it.

xxxx

A few weeks later, it was Xena's thirteenth birthday. The warrior wannabe had been practicing with her sword every morning. Gabrielle had even gone to watch a couple of times.

She was awed at the way Xena was able to handle the sword. She looked, to Gabrielle, like a professional warrior. The one thing that Xena lacked, however, was something to use for a target. That had given Gabrielle an idea.

After Xena's family party was all cleaned up, Gabrielle and Xena escaped to go play. Gabrielle convinced her to go to their fishing spot for the rest of the afternoon. Since Xena loved fishing, she didn't argue.

When they arrived, Gabrielle turned to Xena and announced, "I have a birthday present for you."

"Oh yeah?" Xena smiled, worried that her friend had a trick up her sleeve. "It better not involve mud or perfume."

Gabrielle laughed, shaking her head. "Nope. Follow me." She led Xena into the trees, away from the river. They walked down a hill and stopped behind an outcropping of rocks.

Xena had explored these woods quite a bit, but had never come across this place. She noticed that there was something up against the rocks, but a blanket covered it. "Is that my present?" she asked greedily.

Gabrielle nodded her head and then pulled the blanket off, revealing a crudely made practice dummy. Straw stuck out of ragged clothing, which was all tied with rope onto a large piece of wood. It somewhat resembled a human figure, but not quite.

"Wow." She said, truly in awe. "Is this for my sword?"

"Yup. I thought it would help you to be able to aim at something. I think we could leave it up here and come fishing more often. But instead you could just practice." She smiled, really excited that Xena seemed to like it.

Xena walked around it, examining it. "This is so cool. I can't wait to bring by sword. I just wish I had a real blade."

Gabrielle giggled, "Someday you will! But if you had one now then my dummy would fall apart too easy."

Xena looked around at the sky, "It's getting dark. We better go home." She looked at the dummy, reluctant to leave it. After a moment, she waved at her friend to come with her on the path home.

xxxx

The walk home was a little tough in the dark. It didn't help that Xena tried to take them on a short cut. "We are not lost, I promise. It's just darker than I thought it would be." She practiced one of her flipping jumps on a four-foot drop off, landing it perfectly. "YES!" she hollered, excited that she had finally not fallen on her backside.

Gabrielle hollered as well, happy that it worked out. She walked to the edge of the drop off and looked down, perplexed. "Um, Xena. How am I supposed to get down?"

"Oh, I didn't think about that." She moved to the edge and reached her hand up, "I'll help."

Gabrielle sat on the ground, legs hanging over the drop off. She set her hand in Xena's and was shocked at what happened next. Her heart began to race, yet she wasn't scared at all. She caught Xena's eyes as her friend helped to lower her to the ground. When her feet touched, their hands lingered for a moment. Gabrielle's stomach felt fluttery and she felt extremely nervous.

Xena smiled then walked away, not seeming to notice Gabrielle's internal response, "There. Now hurry, we need to get going." Xena couldn't believe how much her heart was pounding. She felt like she couldn't hear anything except it's powerful beat. _What is happening? _


	5. Chapter 5

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Chapter 5**

**By Jinxie**

Xena woke with a start as she heard commotion outside the inn. She jumped up and looked out the window, seeing Gabrielle and Hecuba hugging her mom. "Shit!" She screamed at herself, mad that she had forgotten.

Today was the day Gabrielle was moving back home. The busy season at the inn was over, they no longer needed help. Hecuba decided it was time to head home and see her husband. Gabrielle had told Xena that they weren't sure if they would return someday, or not.

Xena ran around her room collecting her clothing. She fumbled with the belt clasp around her chiton, and fell to the ground on her knees. "Dammit, don't leave yet."

Finally getting it buckled, she ran down the stairs as fast as she could. She flew through the dining area, disturbing all the patrons as they ate their breakfast. Finally at the door, she burst through into the morning sun. "Gabrielle! Wait!"

Her friend and mother were already a little ways down the road, but had stopped when they heard her holler. She ran, with bare feet, down the dirt road. Gabrielle smiled at her as she approached and they immediately embraced when she arrived. "I was wondering if you were going to come say goodbye."

Xena gulped some air, "I'm sorry. I overslept. You should have woken me." She pulled on a little bit of Gabrielle's hair. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll give you girls a minute to say goodbye." Hecuba wandered ahead a bit on the path and stopped on the bridge that was over the river.

The girls watched her for a moment then focused back on each other. "You still promise you'll try to visit?" Gabrielle had a small tear in her eye, her emotions betraying her. She angrily wiped them away.

Xena frowned, "I promise. Besides, we'll probably need help again next year." She looked back at the inn, a small curl of smoke rising from the chimney. "So I will see you again."

Gabrielle smiled, "I hope so. I'm going to miss it here." She stepped forward and put her arms around her tall friend. Xena returned the hug then tousled the blonde hair.

"Bye, Gabrielle. Safe travels."

"Goodbye, Xena. Don't get into too much trouble when I'm gone."

Reluctantly, they parted ways with heavy hearts. They both knew how unlikely it was that they would see each other for a visit. Even so, Xena was determined to find a way. She had grown to really care about her friend and couldn't stand the thought of not seeing her again.

The steps into the inn creaked under her weight as she felt a gust of air hit her. Cyrene had opened the door for her and put her arm around her shoulders. "You ok?" Xena sighed, trying to keep her emotions at bay. Once her mom had looked her in the eye, she lost control and started to cry. Cyrene ushered her into the kitchen where she hugged her tight. "Oh, honey. It's ok. You'll make new friends."

Xena looked up sharply, "I don't want new friends, mother." She broke free from her grip and ran into the room that once occupied Gabrielle and Hecuba. She threw herself on the bed and sobbed into the pillow that smelled just like the blonde girl. Cyrene left her alone for a bit, hoping her girl would be able to work through her emotions.

xxxx

Gabrielle's feet ached and her head hurt as they walked the several-day journey home. She was excited to see her family, but each day she was further from Amphipolis, she became sadder. She was continually running memories in her head of her time in the small town and was lost in thought near the campfire when her mother tried to get her attention. "Gabrielle?"

She looked up and sadly smiled, "Yes mother?"

"Is everything ok? Sad about your friend?" Hecuba sat next to her daughter and put her arm around her shoulders. "Maybe we can come visit sometime soon, ok?"

The girl perked up at that thought, "Really? When can we go back? Next moon?"

Her mother chuckled at her daughter, "Maybe not that soon, but maybe later in the year. We have to help dad with the sheep and harvest."

Gabrielle kicked a rock at the fire and huffed, "Fine. I guess I'll never see her again!" She got up and stomped to her bedroll, quickly getting under the furs and turning her back on her mother. She obviously didn't want to talk any further. Hecuba banked the fire then lay in bed beside her daughter. After a few moments, both were fast asleep.

xxxx

Three months later, Xena was still upset about Gabrielle. She was becoming a pain for Cyrene to deal with, she began to act out against her brothers, and she was constantly moody. Just last night, Xena had been caught trying to sneak out of town to see Gabrielle. When she was caught by the local blacksmith, she was devastated.

Yesterday she had received a letter from Gabrielle. She read it ten times, including first thing when she woke up.

_Hello Xena!_

_I hope you are doing well. I really miss Amphipolis. My birthday was yesterday and it was terrible. Instead of a party like we did for you, I was stuck tending sheep all day. One bit me on the arm. It hurt! Don't laugh at me. Anyway, it was the worst thirteenth birthday I could imagine. I miss you. When are you coming to visit me? You promised you would come but I haven't seen you and it's been three moons. I wish I could see you practice with your sword. I really want to go fishing; I think I'm having withdrawals. I started working on a new story, but I haven't had the desire to finish it. I guess I'm just really sad since I left the inn. I need to go now. Please write me back. I want to know how you are doing and I hope you haven't forgotten about me._

_Gabrielle_

The teen put the letter back down next to her bed then got up for the day. Once dressed, she went downstairs.

At breakfast, she played with her food and barely ate. "Xena, you need to eat." her mother scolded her from across the table. There were no patrons this morning as it had become quite cold outside.

"I miss Hecuba's food."

Toris laughed, "Mom's is good too. I don't see what the big deal is about Hecuba's cooking."

Cyrene smiled, "At least someone appreciates the food I prepare."

Xena looked at her mom, "Gabrielle liked your food." She smiled at the thought of her friend, "Remember that time she almost choked when eating stew!" She laughed at the memory, but no one else at the table laughed.

Toris just ignored her outburst, "Mom, I'm going out with Kara tonight. Can I have some dinars to buy her something at the bakery?"

"Gabrielle loved the nut bread there."

Toris looked at Xena and raised his eyebrows, "So?"

Cyrene stood up, "Sure honey, I'll go grab you some now. Don't forget, you and Ly need to clean out the stalls first though. No exceptions. And it better be as spotless as when your sister does it." She walked out of the room into the kitchen, leaving all three of her children at the table.

"Better be as good as when Xena does it." Toris mimicked in a high pitched tone. "Oh please."

Xena eyed him, "I had a good helper."

"Let me guess, Gabrielle was awesome at mucking? Just like she is awesome at storytelling and awesome at writing." His smirk grew as he continued, "Isn't she also amazing at talking and amazing at eating nut bread? What about fishing and games?"

Xena's anger began to rise as he mocked her and threw her very words back in her face. "Yes! She is good at all those things, you jerk!"

With a gleam in his eye, he leaned over the table and whispered, "I think you have a crush on her." He slowly sat back down in his seat, egging his sister on, hoping she would try to fight him. He felt like having a good rumble.

Lyceus laughed, finally deciding he would chime in. "Xena has a crush! I'm going to tell everyone!"

"I do not have a crush!" She abruptly stood from the table, knocking the chair to the floor with a loud clatter. Her eldest brother started laughing at her. "Shut up!" She jumped over the table and landed on top of him, knocking him to the floor along with his chair.

She sat on his chest and quickly pinned his arms down. "Take it back!" She squeezed her legs together, putting pressure on his ribcage.

"Get off me!"

"If you are so tough, why don't you make me get off you? Take it back, Toris. I don't have a crush on her."

"Yes you do! You sound just like any other girl that has a crush on a boy. All you ever talk about is Gabrielle this and Gabrielle that. I'm sick of hearing about her!" He pushed back against Xena and threw her off of him. He jumped to his feet and put his fists in front of his face.

Cyrene sprang through the door, "What is going on here?" She tapped her foot on the ground, staring at her daughter, son, and the mess on the floor. "Lyceus, what happened?"

The little boy turned his curly head to his mother, "They were going to kill each other."

"And why would they do that?"

"Because Toris was making fun of Xena because she likes a girl." The small boy shrunk down in his seat when Xena's eyes focused on him.

"I do **not **have a crush on a girl. That's not even possible." She got up and picked up the two chairs from the ground. "I'm sorry about the mess mom. I'll clean it up." She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She planned on getting Toris back, but now wasn't the time.

Cyrene shook her head, "Toris, Lyceus, go do the stalls now." She pointed out the door and both boys immediately obeyed. When she said things in that tone of voice, they knew not to mess with her. She turned to Xena, who was on the floor picking up food that had fallen during the fight. "Tell me what that was about. What girl?"

"It's not true."

The innkeeper watched as her daughters shoulders slumped downwards. "You just miss your friend, right?"

"I missed her birthday." Xena looked up at her. "Toris is just being mean. I'll finish cleaning up in here, then I'm going to go fishing. Ok?"Cyrene nodded then walked back into the kitchen.

xxxx

All day, Xena was in turmoil. The accusations of her liking Gabrielle were weighing on her heavily. She had heard of girls liking girls, but she had never known anyone like that. Sure, there were stories from the bigger cities in Greece of that sort of thing, but she never thought she was like those women. After much deliberation, she finally decided to quit thinking about it.

That evening, Xena went out to the barn to feed the donkey. She grabbed a pitchfork outside the barn and stuck it deeply into a pile of hay. She scooped a sizable chunk and made her way along the side of the building to the front door. Hearing some voices, she stopped.

She found a hole in the wall and peaked in. A local girl, Kara, was pulling her shirt off. Xena shifted a bit as she continued to watch. The older girl tossed the shirt towards something that was out of Xena's sight. Then she began to seductively take off her skirt and move out of sight. Fascinated, Xena found another hole in the wall and got on her knees to watch.

On a hay bale, Toris sat, eyes enraptured with the naked woman in front of him. Xena couldn't believe her eyes, not because of the situation, but because of the naked teen. She couldn't help but stare at the beautiful form in front of her. Her eyes wandered, taking in every curve and dip.

After a moment, Xena noticed that she was getting hot. She also felt blood rushing and a warm sensation in between her legs. She had never felt like this before and it was strange. She rose up off the ground and ran back into the inn. She passed her mother and didn't respond when Cyrene shouted after her.

In her room, she shut the door and locked it with the key. Leaning back against it, she slid down the door into a pile on the floor. _What's wrong with me? Am I sick?_

Immediately her thoughts turned to Gabrielle. She looked over at her bedside table at the letter that sat open. She got up and sprawled out on her bed with the letter in her hand. She read it again as a tear streamed down her cheek. Xena wiped the tears away and decided to write her friend back.

_Gabrielle, _

_I was so happy to get your letter. I'm sorry I didn't send one earlier. I have tried to find a way to come see you, but was not able to find enough money to get a ride to Potedia. Last night, even before I received your letter, I decided to just walk there. I snuck out of town but our blacksmith found me. He forced me back home. I don't know how I can get there to see you. I wish I had my own horse._

_I'm so sorry I missed your birthday! I would have thrown a big surprise party for you. We would have had fun. I miss you, my friend. I've never had such a close friend before. I can't wait to see you again. _

_Your friend,_

_Xena_

She rolled the parchment up and dug out two of her toy soldiers; one metal and one wood. Tomorrow she would go to the market and find someone to take the message to Potedia for the price on one metal soldier. The other soldier was for Gabrielle.

**NEED MORE REVIEWS..I'M HUNGRY**


	6. Chapter 6

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Chapter 6**

**By Jinxie**

Today was Xena's first day working at the blacksmith shop, although she wasn't an apprentice. The only thing he would allow her to do was keep track of his money and book keeping. Every chance she had, though, she watched him make products. He made everything from belt clasps, to horse shoes, to swords. The last is what she had the most interest in.

After a week of working there, she started asking questions about the weapons he made. She found out that he would send them off to markets in Corinth to be sold. She learned about how a sword needed to have the right balance in order to be a good weapon. She asked if she could try to make one, but he wouldn't allow her to since she was a girl.

However, after only two weeks of working there, she made enough money to hitch a ride to Potedia and back. She ran home after she was paid and quickly found her mom.

"Mother, I finally have enough!"

"Enough what, honey?" Cyrene asked as she continued to stir a large pot of stew. She added some salt and some potatoes.

"Money. I want to go visit Gabrielle. Can I, please?" Xena was bouncing up and down like a small child, a huge smile plastered to her face.

Cyrene melted, "Yes, alright. You can go see her, but only if we find someone we trust that will take you."

"Miachel is sending a shipment of swords past Potedia on their way to Corinth. He already said I could ride with them. My money is to find a way back."

Cyrene was a bit shocked that her daughter had already planned this out. "Well, how are we going to find someone trust worthy to bring you back?"

"I'm sure Herodotus knows people that I could ride with. It will be fine!" Xena smiled at her mom then hugged her tight. "I can't wait to go! I'm going to go pack a bag, the cart of swords leaves tomorrow."

As Xena was leaving the kitchen, Cyrene said, "Hey Xena? Thanks for asking this time!"

She smiled broadly at her mother then ran upstairs and began packing. She put a couple of her soldiers in, as well as a cool new rock that she had found at their fishing spot. She was going to give it to her friend. It was light green with golden flecks. "Just like her eyes." She whispered with a smile.

Suddenly she heard commotion outside the inn. She looked out her window and saw fifteen men with swords threatening people in the town. Her first instinct was to grab her wooden sword and run outside to defend her home. She stopped on the porch of the inn, sword in hand as some of the raiders walked towards her. Behind her, her mother and brothers stood. Toris stepped out next to Xena, ready to fight back as well. Though he had no weapon, he did not care.

"What's that, a practice sword?" the dirty man asked as he and his companions laughed at Xena. He pulled out his metal sword, "This is a really sword, little girl." He swiped at her with it. She put her sword up to block it, but the real sword sliced clean through the wood. She stared at the end of hers which was now a stub. "Now, give us all the money you have at that inn and we want all the bread and cheese you have too. We are hungry!"

His mates cheered him on as the pulled out their swords in a threatening manner as well. Toris grabbed Xena's arm and stepped out in front. "No! It's our food and we worked hard for it. You have no claim here, now leave!"

The men laughed at him and one struck out with the pommel of his sword and hit Toris on the face. The teen went straight to the ground, blood dripping between his fingers. Xena looked up from her brother, back at the men. Cyrene grabbed her daughter and children and shouted for them to run.

They did just that. All of them fled to the woods, running for their lives. Luckily they were not chased, but instead they sat and watched as their town and home were raided. The men not only stole from the inn, but they tore it to pieces and lit it on fire. They watched in horror as part of the inn burned and fell to the ground.

xxxx

A few hours later, the raiding party had left. Citizens of Amphipolis had started to come out of hiding and gathered near the inn. The fire had gone out, not consuming everything, just a large portion of the dining room. Xena's eyes went wide when she could see straight through to the kitchen from the outside. The hole was huge.

Toris and Xena were irate at what had happened. The town leader gathered everyone around to see how everyone was. Xena over heard conversation that it was a raiding party sent out by a warlord named Cortese. This man wanted nothing more than to take from people what was not his.

Xena and Toris walked around the inn and barn to see if there was any other damage. Then they surveyed the town seeing utter devastation to people's homes and businesses. Near the blacksmith's, she found a sword lying on the ground. It was not one that had been made by Miachel, for it did not have his branding. She picked it up; it was heavy in her grasp. Looking up at Toris, she decided something right then. "We need to figure out how to prevent this from happening again, Toris."

He nodded at her as he watched her twist the sword around in a figure eight pattern. "How did you learn to do that?"

She smiled at him, "Practice. Come on, let's go help mom." She slipped the sword into her belt on the side of her hip. It was now in place of where her wooden sword had been. It felt right.

xxxx

Gabrielle had been tending the sheep in a small pasture, just on the edge of the town square, when a messenger from Amphipolis came into town on horseback. She heard a lot of yelling, but just watched from a distance as he talked to the adults.

She caught her dad's eyes, which were overwhelmed with worry and fear. "Gabrielle, go get Lila and meet me in the house!" He yelled across the square. She sprung into action, running as fast as she could to find Lila in the barn.

"Lila, come on. Dad wants us in the house now." Grabbing her younger sister's hand, she pulled her alongside her and ran into the house. Her mother and father were pacing around the living room. "What's wrong?"

Her parents stopped pacing and faced her. Her mother walked up to her and put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Something happened in Amphipolis. A warlord invaded."

Gabrielle let out a sob, "No! Is Xena ok? We have to go find her!" she wiggled out of her mom's arms and ran into her room, crying the whole way. She packed furiously, stuffing whatever clothes she could find into her traveling bag.

Hecuba watched from the door way of the girls' room. "I'm sure Xena is fine, honey. Your dad and I do want to go help though, so finish packing and help your sister pack. Ok?"

Gabrielle immediately set to work packing Lila's things as well. The last thing she grabbed before leaving her room was the letter and soldier that Xena had sent her. She smiled when she held them in her hands and then carefully put them away in her travel bag. She carried both bags outside to her parent's wagon and climbed aboard.

No one was on it yet, except her. She was anxious to go and see her friend. "She has to be ok, I know it."

xxxx

Two days later, the clean up in Amphipolis was still underway. The inn smelled like smoke throughout it, making it hard for Xena and her family to sleep. Just last night they had decided to sleep outside under the stars, which Xena enjoyed.

The sword had not left her side, and after a small debate with her mother, Cyrene allowed her to keep it. Xena had demonstrated that she knew how to use it and even had some skill with it.

Xena was sitting on the porch, eating a small loaf of bread as she watched people she knew clean up and try to rebuild the town. She glanced out at the river as movement over the bridge caught her eye. She stood up slowly and squinted her eyes to see what it was.

A smile broke across her face, the first one in what seemed like months. "Hecuba." She took a step forward then turned back to the inn, "Mom! Gabrielle's family is here!" She took off in a jog towards the bridge and greeted the family as their wagon rolled into town. Her anxious eyes searched for her friend, for all she had seen were the two adults in the front.

She peeked into the back of the wagon and found Gabrielle asleep with her sister. She looked peaceful for a moment, then her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was blue eyes and a bright smile looking back at her. "Xena?"

"Yup! That's me!" Xena jumped up in the back of the wagon as Gabrielle sat up. She pulled the blonde girl into a huge hug.

"I'm so glad you are ok! Is your family ok too?" Gabrielle pulled out of the hug and examined her friend. Xena was covered in dirt and soot, her knuckles were scrapped up, and she had various cuts over her arms and legs.

"I'm fine and so is everyone else. The inn, though… well it's had better days." Both of them hopped out of the wagon and started walking to the Inn. Hecuba and Herodotus moved the wagon closer then disembarked with a sleepy dark-haired daughter in tow.

Cyrene came out of the inn and greeted them with hugs and handshakes. "Gabrielle!" She walked over to the girls and leaned down to give the blonde girl a big hug. "We've missed you here, haven't we Xena?"

Xena's cheeks flushed a bit, "Yeah, we have."

"Don't worry too much about us, dear. We'll have the inn up and running in no time. Especially now that you have come to help." She ruffled Gabrielle's hair then did the same to Xena's.

Xena reached up and smoothed her hair back down after her mom left, "I hate it when she does that." She looked down at Gabrielle and smiled, "I'm so glad you came. Did you get my letter?"

Gabrielle nodded her head, "Yes! Thank you for writing me back."

"You didn't think I would? Nonsense, silly. Of course I would write you back. You are my best friend. I finally saved up enough money to come see you. I was actually packing up my things when the raiders came into town. I would have arrived in Potedia today."

Gabrielle's eyes went wide, "Really? You were actually coming?" She looked down at the sword on Xena's side. She noticed it early but they hadn't had a chance to talk about it. She reached over and nudged it. "Where did you get that?"

Xena looked down, proud to be the wielder of a real sword. "I found it after the raiders left. Thought it would be good to keep in case they come back. Then I could actually defend my family instead of be laughed at." She was about to tell Gabrielle about her wooden sword's demise, but was suddenly feeling embarrassed that it had happened.

Gabrielle noticed the shift in Xena's demeanor, "What happened to the sword your dad gave you?" She had a feeling that was why Xena was made fun of.

"Nothing. I just found a real one to replace it with." Xena quickly changed the subject, "So how long are you here for?"

Gabrielle looked back at her parents and saw that Lila was watching her. She waved her sister over, causing the girl to smile and run over while holding onto her blanket. "Xena, this is my little sister Lila."

Xena squatted down so she was closer to the same height as the dark-haired girl, "Hello. It's nice to meet you." She ruffled the girls shaggy hair then stood back up. "Maybe later we can all go fishing."

Gabrielle smiled at that, "That would be fun! Huh, Lila?" the little girl nodded her head vigorously. They wandered back to where the adults were talking.

Herodotus introduced himself to Xena and then he quickly put his own family to work on helping with the inn. Xena and Gabrielle worked together by holding up wooden boards as Herodotus nailed them together.

xxxx

The adults and smallest children had gone to sleep; Xena's family in their bedrolls and Gabrielle's family in the back of their wagon. Xena, Gabrielle, and Toris sat around the fire. Toris and Xena were in deep conversation about the warlord Cortese. They drew a map on the ground of the town and surrounding area, marking places that would be a good strong hold to defend the town.

Xena came up with most of the plans, telling Toris what they should do to prevent an attack from each side. He didn't seem to argue with Xena, for once. In fact, he seemed ready to follow her lead, despite that she was three years younger than him.

After their planning, Xena looked across the fire at Gabrielle and smiled. "Ya warm?" The blonde head nodded as she looked at Xena's sword that was propped next to her. Xena picked it up and motioned for Toris to follow her. "We are going to go practice. You can come if you want."

Gabrielle looked back at her parent's wagon, then decided she wanted to see Xena and Toris in action. The sparring lasted about an hour, both teens sweaty and tired at the end. The bard was in shock at how good Xena had become since she left four months ago. She beat Toris in every match. A few times, Xena had flipped over Toris' head and landed behind him. It reminded her of her character, Athenias.

Previously, she had been scared to sleep outside, worried that the raiders would come back. She knew her dad would do his best to defend her, but he did not know how to fight. Now, though, she felt safe. She felt like Xena and Toris would keep them safe from harm.

On the walk back to camp, everyone was quiet. Xena reached over and put her arm around her friend's shoulder, "Want to go to the river with me? I want to wash up a little bit."

Gabrielle scrunched her nose, "Yeah, you stink."

Xena moved her arm down along her friends back, causing chills to run up Gabrielle's spine. That is, until Xena's finger attacked her ribs. The shorter girl broke out laughing hysterically as Xena tickled her and chased her around.

Finally, Xena stopped after Toris gave her a look. She whispered, "We'll be back in a bit. I need to wash up." Gabrielle watched the exchange, curious as to what happened. She caught up with her friend and, without thought, slid her hand into Xena's.

The tall brunette smiled at the touch, then, realizing what was happening, she shot a look at Gabrielle. Both of them were surprised at the feelings caused by the one single touch. After they made eye contact, they quickly let go.

The river water was very cool and refreshing. Xena splashed some on her face and arms, rinsing the sweat off her body. Gabrielle was staring up at the moon, astounded at how bright it was this night. "You and Toris seem to be friends now."

Xena laughed, "He knows I can kick his butt now."

"That's true. Think he'll ever get a girlfriend now that everyone knows his own sister can beat him up?" She giggled at the thought.

Xena giggled too, "Actually he does have a girl. I saw them in the barn together."

"What! What were they doing?" Gabrielle's eyes connected with Xena's and the look she got was all she needed to understand. "Oh, wow. I can't believe you saw that. I wonder if they'll marry. He should be married by now anyway."

"I don't think he wants to marry. Besides, we have work to do here. We need to defend this place in case Cortese tries to come back." She stood up and sprinkled the remnants of water from her hands into her friend's face. "Come on, let's get back to camp. I'm sleepy."

On the way back, they walked slowly. They were both at the age where their curiosity about adulthood was beginning to invade their world. "What was it like seeing them in the barn? Was it gross?"

Xena thought for a moment, "No. I mean, I didn't watch the whole thing. I just saw her undressing."

Gabrielle made a noise, "Hmmph." _I wonder if she was pretty. I bet her body is like a woman's. I wish mine was._

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"I was just thinking that I wish my body would grow up already. I have no boobs." She chuckled at that as she looked down at her slender body.

Xena looked too, not at her own body, but at Gabrielle's. Immediately she became warm, just like when she saw Toris' girlfriend undressed. She shook her head to rid herself of the feeling, "We both will be grown up someday. Don't worry." She nudged her friend in the shoulder, "Hey move your bedroll closer to mine, ok? I want to hear a story."

When they got into the small camping area, the two girls moved their bedrolls closer together and ended up chatting quietly into the night. Gabrielle told Xena stories about her time in Potedia, including the story about the sheep that bit her. Quiet giggles could be heard around the camp throughout the night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Chapter 7**

**By Jinxie**

A week had gone by in Amphipolis, which was spent rebuilding the town. The inn was finished the quickest, since Gabrielle's family had been helping. The two teenage girls were inseparable. Fishing was a regular activity, as well as Xena showing off her fighting skills.

Gabrielle was quite impressed with her friend. At one point, she decided to try and pick up the sword, which was way too heavy for her. Xena had teased her a bit and it ended in a tickle fight. Gabrielle's heart was soaring throughout the week, beyond happy that she and Xena had been reunited.

However, the time came to an end. Herodotus decided it was time for his family to go back home, they had their own farm to attend to. At one point, Gabrielle had interrupted a conversation between the two mothers in the kitchen.

"So it's decided, then. I'll stay for another week then go home. I'm more than happy to help out, Cyrene." Hecuba said as she patted her friend on the hand. Herodotus nodded his head in compliance.

"I'll head home with the girls and finish up the harvest." He said with a bit of a grunt.

Gabrielle was in the doorway listening, "What? I don't understand. Why can't I stay too?"

Cyrene excused herself so that Gabrielle's parents could talk to their daughter.

Herodotus walked over to her and squatted down to her height, "Gabrielle, I need you help at home. I need you and Lila to tend to the sheep while I do the harvest. It's going to be difficult enough without your mother there, but she can make some extra money here at the inn."

The young blonde crossed her arms and scowled as a tear ran down her cheek. "It's not fair! I want to stay here too! I can help. I can tell stories and earn money."

It was Hecuba's turn to talk to her daughter, "Honey, you need to stay with your dad and help him, ok? I need you to take care of him, make sure he eats good food too. I know you want to be with your friend, but you'll get to see her again."

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to pour out. She turned on her heal and ran upstairs to Xena's room. The door was open so she went inside and shut the door behind her. She flopped herself on her friend's pillow and cried.

Xena walked into the kitchen and saw that Hecuba and Herodotus were talking. She apologized for interrupting, "Sorry. I didn't mean to barge in."

"Xena," Hecuba started, "Gabrielle is very upset right now. I think she went to your room and could use a friend."

Xena stood up straighter, "What happened?"

"We are going home. My wife will stay here to help your mom get the inn running again, but the girls and I are going home." Herodotus stepped closer to Xena, "Maybe you can make her feel a little better about it. I need her to be able to watch the sheep while I take care of the harvest."

The teenager thought for a moment, the responded, "Ok, I will do my best." She walked into the dining room and paused before going up the stairs. _Leaving already! They just got here. I don't want Gabrielle to leave. I hate that adults just run our lives like this. _She shook her head to rid herself of the selfish childish thoughts. _Come on, Xena. Grow up. You'll see her again. It's the right thing to do. She should help her dad out. _

After her inner monologue, she jogged up the stairs and found her friend on the bed reading the letter she had sent her. "Hey."

Gabrielle put the letter down quickly, "Hi."

She walked to the side of the bed and sat on the edge, "I heard you need to go home to help your father."

Gabrielle's eyes welled up with tears again, "I don't want to go. I want to stay here."

Xena stood up and rummaged through her closet, coming out with her travel bag. She reached down inside and pulled something out, hiding it in her hand. "I was going to bring this to you when I came to Potedia."

Gabrielle smiled when she saw the small green rock. "It's pretty! Where did you find it?" She took the smooth stone into her hand and turned it over, examining it carefully.

"It was at our fishing spot. I was out in the water trying to catch fish with my bare hands. That's when I saw it."

"Bare hands! Xena, that's impossible." She looked at her friend in disbelief.

"Hey, maybe for you. I'm getting really close. I'm trying to develop many skills in life. " She smiled a toothy grin.

Gabrielle became sad again, "I wish I could be here to watch you catch one."

"Me too. But I can still come visit you. I found a way to do it. Miachel said I could ride the sword cart that passes through Potedia on its way to Corinth. So I will come see you soon, ok? But you have to go help your dad." Xena sighed and patted her friend on the foot.

"Fine. But I don't have to like it." Gabrielle got up and walked past Xena, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. "Let go already."

Her dad's eyebrows arched in shock, "Uh ok. Let's say goodbye to everyone."

They all said their goodbyes and Xena watched her friend leave once again.

xxxx

A week and a half later, Hecuba returned home to her family. She reported that the inn was back in tip top shape, running smoothly. Gabrielle had chatted her ear off about Xena, wanting to know everything that was going on with her friend. Hecuba answered her questions, then pulled out a stack of letters that Xena had sent.

"Why are there so many?" Gabrielle was in awe at how much writing her friend had done.

"She wrote seven of them, one each day I was there. She said to only read one a week and that they are in order already." Hecuba kissed her daughter on the head, "I'm going to go get the trail dirt off my feet. Remember, only one letter."

Gabrielle grinned at her mom, excited about the little game her friend had devised for her. She unraveled the first letter:

_Hey Short-Stuff, _

_By the way, that's my new nickname for you. I'm hoping that your mom told you the rules. One letter per week, this is the first and they are in order. I also numbered them in case your clumsy butt falls and they spill everywhere. Just kidding. _

_Today I decided that I am going to use Miachel's tools to sharpen my sword. I also think the balance is off and it's bothering me. I have watched him do it enough, hopefully I'll do it right. I can't let him know that I'm going to use his stuff, he might fire me. Then I can't buy you something for your next birthday. Which I promise will be better than your last! _

_I can't believe it's almost been a year already since my birthday. I remember when you showed me the practice dummy. I loved that thing. I beat it up too badly though, so I can't use it anymore. Which is ok, I guess, because Toris is my practice dummy. Ha ha, he hates it. I give him so many bruises. I wish you could see it every day. _

_Anyway, I need to go do my chores now. You don't need to write back. I know it's hard to get letters sent back and forth. I'll see you soon, hopefully._

_Your best friend, _

_Xena_

Gabrielle reread the letter several times, laughing at all the right points. "Short Stuff. Hmmph." She grunted, "I'm not that short."

xxxx

At dinner that night, the adults had their own conversation going, which Gabrielle tuned out. That is until she heard her name mentioned. Her hearing perked up and she watched them talk about her.

"It's time we get her betrothed to someone. I think Perdicus would be a great match for her. He comes from a good farming family and they make a decent living from the land." Her father said to her mother. "Besides, his father has already asked."

Gabrielle's stomach curled at the thought of that, not just because of Perdicus but because she didn't want to be tied down to farm. She wanted to explore the world and learn things. "I don't want to marry Perdicus!"

Hecuba looked at Gabrielle then at her husband, "I don't know. Normally I would agree, but she is too much of an independent girl. I think she'll have a hard time being married until she grows up a little more."

"Hecuba, all girls her age become betrothed around this age." He took a bite of the grains on his plate and chewed thoughtfully.

Gabrielle was frustrated that they weren't including her in the conversation and had virtually ignored her first plea. "Father, I do not want to get married! I want to travel the world and explore new places. I want to tell stories and be happy."

Hecuba looked at her daughter, "What makes you think you won't be happy being married?"

Gabrielle thought for a moment, then looked back up. "I just don't want to marry farmer. If I ever get married, I want to travel with that person."

Her dad looked at her mom, finally understanding what his wife had been saying. _She is too independent right now. She needs to grow up a bit more I suppose._ "I guess we could wait a couple more years, though." He conceded, "Xena should be betrothed soon too. I heard you and Cyrene talking about it while we were there."

Gabrielle looked over to her mother, catching her eye. Her green eyes showed a bit of anger at the thought of Xena being married.

"Yes, and Cyrene reached the same conclusion about Xena that I just did with Gabrielle. They are both not ready for marriage. If they were to be betrothed now, the marriage would not be too far off. They are still just too young at heart. Besides, Xena has a whole thing going on trying to protect the village." Hecuba winked at Gabrielle.

Herodotus laughed, "Honey, she is a woman. She shouldn't even be using a sword, much less trying to protect the village. She should let the men do that. Her brother is stronger than her anyway."

"No he's not." Gabrielle chimed in. "She whoops him every time they spar!"

Her father glared at her, "Gabrielle, eat your food. Your mother and I are having a conversation." He turned back to his wife, "How about we agree to betroth her in the next year, around her fifteenth birthday. That gives her some time to learn to be a woman."

Her mom nodded her head, "Yes, I think that's perfect."

That night, Gabrielle was moodier than ever before. She sat next to the fire with a scroll in her hand but she couldn't write or read. Her mother sat next to her and handed her a cup of tea. "Are you upset with us?"

"Yes." She sipped on the hot tea, grateful for it soothing her sore throat. It was sore because she had cried quite a bit earlier at the thought of being married.

Hecuba rubbed the girl's back with her hand. "I know it's hard, honey. But you'll get use to the idea as time goes on. It's just part of life."

Quiet ensued as Gabrielle thought about it. _This should just be normal for me, everyone does this. But I just don't want to. I use to dream of being married, but I cannot even remember picturing a husband. That doesn't make sense. Maybe Aphrodite doesn't want me to fall in love. _

xxxx

In bed that night, Herodotus finally brought up a topic he'd been considering for some time now. "Hecuba, I've been thinking that Amphipolis has more commerce than Potedia. We might be able to make a better living there."

"Are you talking about moving?" She looked over at him after she had put her knitting down.

He smiled, "Yes I am talking about moving. I feel like it might be a better place for us."

"Even with the threat of that warlord? We have had no threats here. It's safer here." She sat up in bed, becoming very anxious.

He sat up as well and put his arm around her. "Honey, I feel like it will be ok. We will make more money there and be able to feed our kids without worry of running out of food over the winter. Do you think we should ask the girls what they think?"

She sighed, "Well, I think we already know what Gabrielle will say."

He laughed at that and brought his wife in closer for a hug. "I think it would make her happier."

She thought about her daughter and how sad she had been every time they left Amphipolis. "You are right. It would be good for her to have Xena, I think."

"So it's settled, we are moving." He nodded as if to confirm his own declaration.

xxxx

The next day, her mother woke her up with good news. She moved a strand of blonde hair out of her daughter's eye and gently prodded her awake. "Gabrielle, wake up. It's a beautiful morning."

The teenager rolled over, away from her mom. "I don't want to get up."

"Ok, then you won't hear the news about Amphipolis." She got up and started walking out of the bedroom.

Gabrielle shot up out of bed, "What?!"

"I thought that would get your attention, little one."

The blonde rubbed her eyes and scratched her head then stood up out of bed. "What happened? Is everyone ok?"

"Yes. The news is good. Your father and I have been talking and we decided that we are going to move to Amphipolis."

Gabrielle squealed so loudly that her mother had to cover her ears. "Oh my gods! I can't believe it! When are we leaving?"

"We will leave in about a moon. Your dad will head over there and put money down on some land and a small house. Then we will finish our business here, pack up, and leave. He decided there is more of a market in Amphipolis than there is here."

Gabrielle couldn't contain herself, she was so excited. The next moon passed quickly for her as they prepared to move. She did not write Xena a letter and was assured by her parents that Cyrene did not know about the move. She couldn't wait to surprise her friend.

xxxx

Xena was covered in dirt and horse manure. Her brothers, once again, didn't muck the stalls properly. It just so happened to coincide with her pulling a prank on them. The prank went a little far, so she ended up having to do their chore.

Stepping out of the barn, she reached into the horse trough to rinse herself off the best she could. However, she knew that a bath in the river was more likely the best way to clean. With that in mind, she walked towards the river, sword on her side and eyes alert for danger. Ever since the invasion, she felt like she needed to be on watch.

It was then she saw the most glorious sight. Gabrielle was walking down the road with a bag on her back and a walking stick in her hand. Behind her, was a wagon full of stuff with her father driving. Lila was in his lap and Hecuba was walking besides Gabrielle.

At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. _That can't be her! _However, after a few moments of them walking closer, she realized it was indeed her friend. Xena waved at them with a smiled, "Hello!"

Gabrielle tried to play it cool and not act too excited. She didn't want Xena to think she was crazy with how excited she was. "Hi!" the blonde exclaimed as she approached Xena.

"What are you doing here? I'd give you a big hug, but I'm covered in horse crap."

Gabrielle just smiled, "We are moving here. Dad bought some land and a house."

Xena was in shock, she looked at the adults then back at Gabrielle. She let out a whoop and pulled her friend into a hug anyway, despite the nastiness on her clothes.

"Xena!" Gabrielle laughed at her antics. She threw her arms around her friend, then shouted, "Let me go! You stink so bad!"

Xena complied with a huge smile on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry I got you all dirty! I'll just have to help you get cleaned up." She waggled her eyebrows then grabbed Gabrielle and put her over her shoulder. She ran down to the edge of the river and walked in, until the water rose to her hips, before she toss Gabrielle into the swimming hole.

The blonde spluttered water as she surfaced, madly wiping it from her face. "Xena!"

**Please, please, please review. I love reviews. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Chapter 8**

**By Jinxie**

The day after Gabrielle's family had arrived to Amphipolis, a group of performers came into town. They had horses with them, which needed to be put into the stable at Cyrene's inn.

Gabrielle and Xena were assigned to take care of the horses while Cyrene and Hecuba prepared meals and made sure their visitors were comfortable. It was Gabrielle's first time brushing a horse.

Xena grabbed a metal brush and demonstrated how to use it. "You just have to be careful to do a nice, even stroke. That way you won't hurt them. Then, I'll show you how to clean their shoes."

Gabrielle smiled as she tried her first brush stroke on the horse. It seemed to be ok, and the horse seemed to really love it. "You are such a pretty boy!"

Xena snickered in the background, "It's actually a girl."

"Oh. How do you know?" She looked to where Xena pointed, then followed her friends finger to the underside of the horse Xena was brushing. "I see." Her face became a little red due to her embarrassment.

"So, short stuff. Tell me what you have been up to since I saw you last. I didn't get any letters, so I really feel out of the loop." Her voice trailed off at the end, with a hint of sadness in it.

"I'm sorry I didn't write. I didn't want to spoil the surprise of us moving here. I knew that if I wrote you, I wouldn't be able to keep it a secret." She smiled at her friend then went back to brushing the horse, moving now to it's mane. "Anyway, I guess I haven't been up to much of anything. Potedia is pretty boring. I'm really glad we left."

"Was it hard saying goodbye to your friends?"

"Uh, no. I didn't really have friends there. I mean, I had a couple, but no one as good as you. Besides, I'm just glad we are far away from Perdicus." She shivered as she said his name, and it was not a good shiver.

"Perdicus? Who is that? Your boyfriend?" Xena teased, slightly worried her friend would say yes. Mostly concerned that she didn't already know about a boy in her best friend's life.

Gabrielle glared at her, "No! I don't have a boyfriend. That's gross."

"Still think boys are gross? Most the girls our age around here are following the boys around like puppies." Xena giggled at the thought of that, easily imaging some of the teens in this town acting exactly like that.

"I don't like boys." She responded, a little surprised at the words that came out of her mouth. _Wait, shouldn't I like boys? _"Anyway, Perdicus wants to marry me. Or I should say, our fathers want us to be married."

Xena stopped brushing and put her brush down, picking up the horse pick so she could clean out the horse's shoes. "Do you mean that they are already setting up your betrothal?"

Gabrielle frowned, "Yes. Although my dad said he would wait until I was almost fifteen. That's a little more than a year away." She put the comb down and moved over to watch Xena's new task.

"Ok, so you just put the pick in here, staring at the back of the hoof. You scrape it forward and pull the gunk out of there. Sometimes it's hard to get out, but it depends." She scrapped and picked at it for a minute until it was clean. "Then when you are done, it should look like this."

"I see. That doesn't hurt the horse?" Gabrielle looked up at the creature and pet him on the snout.

"Nope." Xena moved to the next leg, "I'm not done teaching you. You didn't see how I pulled his leg up. They don't like to just move it for you, it takes skill." She ran her hand down the front of the horse's leg, then pinched the horse on the back of the tendon and cradled the front of the horse's leg. The horse lifted it's hoof up into the air. "See, now you can clean it."

Gabrielle nodded, "I get it. Ok, I'm going to try over here."

After a few moments of quiet, Gabrielle continued. "So yeah, they want to betroth me. I'm glad they decided to wait though. My dad says that hopefully when I'm almost fifteen then I will be more mature for marriage."

"That's stupid. You are pretty mature now, aren't you?"

"I don't know. They said that I'm too independent. I guess the fact that I just want to travel the world and meet new people, have adventures… it just makes them think I'm not ready for marriage." She shrugged when she heard Xena scoff.

"It's stupid." Xena could feel her internal temperature rising. "There is nothing wrong with you, and there's nothing wrong with being independent. There is nothing wrong with wanting to travel the world and be a bard."

"It's ok, those are just dreams anyway. No one gets to live their dreams." She picked up the last hoof on her mare and began to scrape away at it. "I'll just end up on a farm somewhere my whole life, married to a man that I don't want to be with."

Xena threw down her grooming supplies and walked over to Gabrielle, "Don't give up. You should get to do what you want with your life! I want you to be happy. They should too!" She was near shouting.

"Xena, it's ok. Really. I'll be fine." She sighed and dropped the horse's hoof when she was jolted to a standing position. She found herself staring into the blue eyes of her friend.

"You shouldn't marry him. You shouldn't marry anyone that you don't want to. It's not right and it pisses me off that adults get to run our lives."

The blonde girl was startled with the passion and anger in the words her friend spoke. "They told me you were going to be betrothed soon too. Said your mom was talking about it."

Xena growled. "I don't want a husband. It just feels wrong."

Gabrielle sat on a hay bale. "I know. I feel the same way. Why is it that there is a goddess of love, but no one gets to marry the one they love? It's crazy. Everyone is set up by their parents. I want to choose who I marry."

"Who would you choose?" Xena asked, for some reason her heart started beating quickly. "I mean… if you could."

Gabrielle looked up at her, startled by the question and the response she found herself wanting to give. She had to think quickly about how to respond, "Uh, I don't know. I do know that I would want to be with you though. I mean, like traveling around with you and stuff."

Xena smiled, "Really? You wouldn't choose someone to marry and raise kids with?"

"Well, like I said, I want to travel."

"What if you could travel with the person you marry and have kids and all of that?" Xena prodded her friend, deciding that she wanted to know what she could be thinking.

"Gosh, Xena. I don't know. That all sounds good, but it's not reality. Reality is me marrying stupid Perdicus, raising kids, and having a bunch of smelly sheep!" She suddenly stood up and marched out of the barn. She was upset, however she was not sure why.

Xena just stared at the spot her friend had recently occupied. "Uh, ok. What just happened?" She looked at the horse she had finished cleaning and shrugged. "Great, now I've made my best friend mad." She threw a blanket over each horse, then walked out of the barn, shutting the door behind her.

Looking around, Gabrielle was nowhere to be seen. She felt very unhappy at how their conversation ended. But, even more than unhappy, she was furious at the injustice of it all. She didn't feel it was right for anyone to dictate their lives.

Deciding that she needed some alone time, she jogged off to her secret hiding spot. She had not even shown this small cave to Gabrielle yet. It only took a few minutes to get there, as it sat just on the hillside next to the road to Amphipolis.

The cave was not very deep, only a couple of feet. It was more of a ledge, really. She had gone there many times before, mostly to get away from the boys. As she approached, she looked at the trees, which were now scarred with hack marks from her sword. She found it was a good way to release pent up anger that would develop from time to time.

She sat on the rocky floor and looked up at the solid rock that loomed over her head. "I don't want her to get married." She looked around to make sure no one was around to hear her. "Stupid customs. I just want it to be me and her when we grow up."

She picked up a rock and threw it towards the road. "I hope Gabrielle will be able to find someone who can give her everything she wants. She could be a traveling bard or something fun like that. Maybe I can follow them and help save people from Cortese. It would be perfect because we both want the same thing." She smiled after she had imagined it all. "Too bad girls can't get married." The smile washed off her face at the last thought.

Suddenly she looked to her right, down the road. A man was shouting and running towards Amphipolis. Chasing him was a man that looked like one of Cortese's conscripts. "Help!" the man yelled. He was carrying way too many things with him, which only slowed him down. The man caught up to him from behind and tackled him to the ground, sending his possessions across the road.

Xena stood up abruptly and put her hand to her sword. Her instincts took over as she ran down the hill as fast as she could. As she neared, she yelled at the bandit, "HEY! Leave him alone!"

She slowed to a walk when she was a few feet from them. The bandit looked up and smiled, "Want to trade yourself for him?" He grinned, barely any teeth were left in his mouth.

She cringed, "Hell no." Drawing her sword, she cocked an eyebrow. "I want you to leave him alone and never come near here again."

He laughed at her, then kicked the man on the ground. He drew his sword and ran at her, "Come on little girl! Fight me!"

Xena held her ground, a surge of courage over took her. She sidestepped as he neared, almost sending him flying past her, except that he skidded to stop next to her. He struck out with his elbow, knocking her in the side of the jaw. She stumbled backwards then regained her footing.

Putting her sword out in front, she aimed to make a move on him. Their swords connected, steel ringing against steel in the silence of the dusk. She flipped backwards, moving away from him again. Then he struck at her head, trying to remove it from her body. But she blocked it, put her leg out behind his and threw him to the ground.

He looked at her in shock, "Who are you?"

"I'm Xena." Her eyes bore holes through him as she put on her toughest face.

The man rose from the dirt and took off running the opposite direction. Xena watched him for a moment and then made her way over to the victim. "Are you ok, sir?"

He looked up at her, scrambling to his feet. "Yes, I think so. Thank you, young lady." He began to pick up his things as he continued talking to her, "How did you beat him? I can't understand, you are such young girl."

"I have many skills." She smiled at him as she helped him pick up his belongings. "Are you staying the night in Amphipolis?"

He sighed as he picked up the last piece of his gear. "I am indeed. I had hoped to get there before dark, but now…" They both looked up to see the beginning of twinkling stars.

"Don't worry. I know the way. Do you have family or are you staying at the inn?"

xxxx

When Gabrielle had run out of the barn, she went directly to her room and closed the door. The room was stuffy, so she opened the window to let in the fresh air. She wanted nothing more than to write, but she didn't want to waste her parchment.

She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, grateful that her sister wasn't in the room. _Why do I care so much about being betrothed? I've known my whole life that this is what happens at my age. Maybe I should run away and join the Amazons. I heard they don't even have a man in their village so they don't have to worry about getting married. Maybe Xena would go with me…then we could live together in a hut and it would just be us. _

She smiled gleefully, wondering if Xena would consider that some day.

xxxx

The inn was quiet, except for Toris and Cyrene arguing about Xena. Toris wanted to go find her, but she thought that Xena would come back in due time. "Mom, what if Cortese or his men grabbed her?"

"Toris, you are being silly. She probably just got caught up playing with Gabrielle or something." She wiped the last of the crumbs off the kitchen counter and looked at her son, who was pacing around the room. "For Elysia sakes, calm down."

"Yeah, Toris. Calm down." Xena smiled as she came in, lightly punching him in the stomach as she passed. "We have a guest for the evening." She gestured behind her as the man from the road appeared.

Cyrene stepped forward, "Well hello. Come on in, can I get you a meal?" She shook his hand and then motioned for him to go out to the dining room. She followed him out to the empty tables, "How did you meet Xena?"

The dining room door opened and Gabrielle stepped in. She almost greeted everyone, but realized that she was interrupting something. She made her way into the kitchen to stand by Xena and Toris.

"Your daughter saved my life, actually. I was on the road here and was attacked. The man tried to rob me, but your daughter here protected me. The man ran with his tail between his legs."

Cyrene glanced through the kitchen door, Xena stood with a small smile on the corner of her lips, Toris had his jaw dropped open, and Gabrielle's eyes were wide open as she stared at her friend. She whispered, "You did that?"

Before Xena could answer, Cyrene spoke up, "Well I'm glad she was there to help you. I'm also glad that no one was hurt."

Xena couldn't resist, "Except the other guy. He fell right on his butt." She giggled at the look Gabrielle gave her, then grabbed her friend by the hand. She pulled her out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her room.

When they reached her room she dropped Gabrielle's hand and shut the door. "Whew! Did you see the look on mom's face? She's probably going to kill me." She jumped up and down, trying to burn off some of the residual adrenaline.

Gabrielle just watched her friend, not sure why she was jumping. "Tell me everything!"

After recounting the story, with a few stretches of the imagination, the two girls sat on the floor of Xena's room. An awkward quiet blanketed the room, which didn't sit well for either of them. "I was worried you were mad at me."

Gabrielle replied, "No, I'm not mad at you. I am just really confused about stuff. I was thinking, we should run away to the Amazons. They don't have to get married! They just get to do whatever they want all the time and they live with their friends. It would be perfect for us."

Xena smiled, "Gabrielle, they still have to do things. They can't just do whatever they want all the time. They have to make a living so they can eat. They hunt all their own food."

"Oh. What about the marriage thing?"

"Well as far as I know, that part is true. I think they can get married if they want though. I also know they have babies sometimes." The dark haired girl yawned, her eyes growing heavier by the minute. She laid her head back onto the ground.

The blonde laid back besides her, "Wait. But I thought they didn't like men around."

"Doesn't mean they can't have babies."

With a crinkled forehead, Gabrielle thought through the possibilities. Time wandered from her as she dwelled on thoughts of Amazon life. Finally, she looked over at Xena, but she was asleep.

She smiled at her friend and then quietly left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: sorry this is sort of a long one. Please review! And thank you so much for all the reviews you've already given. It means a lot!**

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Chapter 9**

**By Jinxie**

As harvest time arrived, Xena and her brothers were busy in the field bringing in the grain. They had a good crop this year, better than all the prior year's. She was happy that they would make plenty of money this year, as her work at the blacksmith had not brought in a lot of income.

As Gabrielle was on a walk with her father to the inn, she spotted her friends in the field and asked her father if she could go help them. After much begging, he allowed her to go as long as she didn't "get into trouble".

She carefully walked through the field, walking over the sheaths from the grain. "Xena!" she shouted to her friend. The tall brunette girl stood up straight and wiped her brow. Gabrielle finally caught up to her.

"Hey! What are you doing out here?" Xena asked as she took a drink from her water skin.

"My dad and I were on a walk when I spotted you. Guess what I just heard in town?" She smiled brightly, her eyes twinkling.

Xena's stomach clenched, in a good way. "What?"

"There is a harvest festival going on in Tragilus. I heard they have sword-fighting competitions going on. You should try it!" She reached over and brushed some dirt from Xena's arm.

"I don't know, Gabrielle. Do you really think my mom would let me go? I think she is still a little upset I carry this thing around." She motioned to the sword at her side. Her friend looked a little sad; obviously she had been very hopeful that Xena would be excited too. "Hey, it's not like I don't want to. I think it would be really awesome!"

"You could at least try to see if she will let you go." Gabrielle looked over as Toris and Lyceus started arguing. "What's up with them?"

"They've been at each other's throats all day. I don't think they can handle the heat." Xena flashed a smile at her friend.

Gabrielle reached over and took Xena's water skin for a drink. After a few swallows she got a bright idea. "You can handle the heat better than them, huh?"

Xena looked away from her brothers, "Yup."

"I don't know, Xena. You look like you could use a good cooling off." She aimed the water skin at Xena and was ready to toss its contents.

Xena took a step back, "Oh no you don't. Remember the river bath I gave you? Do you want another one?" Xena put her arms in front of her face to protect herself in case water came flying. When it didn't after a moment, she dropped her guard. "I knew you wouldn't."

It was then that Gabrielle released the water straight at Xena's face. She was now dripping wet, her head doused in the cool liquid. She sputtered and spit as the sweaty, salty water went in her mouth. "Yuck!"

Gabrielle dropped the skin and backed up when she saw the look in Xena's eyes. "Now Xena, it's ok to admit that you needed that. I know you were hot out here in the sun. It doesn't make you a wimp like your brothers." The blonde girl smiled big then turned on her heals and ran.

She made it all the way to the end of the field before she turned around to see if she was being chased. She wasn't. "Huh, that's odd. She never gives up that easily." She waved to her friend but Xena just turned around the resumed her work. _Great, now she is probably mad at me._

She turned and headed to the inn where her father had gone. It was lunchtime and Cyrene had asked her to tell a story. She was very excited to get this opportunity because Cyrene told her that any tips she received would be hers. It took some convincing of her father to let her do it, but the family needed money badly enough that he finally gave in.

xxxxx

Gabrielle had been helping clean up the inn up after dinner when Xena and her brothers came in from the fields. They looked exhausted and dirtier than she'd ever seen Xena. The trio sat down at one of the tables and Cyrene talked with them. Gabrielle watched from the kitchen, afraid to talk to her friend in case she was mad at her.

Xena looked upset as she talked to Cyrene, so when Cyrene came back in, she mumbled to herself, "Grumpy teenagers. What am I going to do with them?"

"Why are they grumpy?" she heard herself asking, without any forethought.

Cyrene looked over at her kitchen helper. "Xena just asked me if she could go to a sword competition! Can you believe that? Why would she think that would be ok with me? I hate that she carries that thing around so much."

"Oh." It was the only reply she had at the moment. Silence took over the kitchen as Cyrene dished out some food for her kids.

"Gabrielle, would you please take this out them?" She handed the plates to the girl and walked out the back door.

"I guess." She said to the spot that the innkeeper had been standing in. Making her way out to the dining room, she became nervous. She couldn't stand the thought of Xena being mad at her for any reason.

When she arrived at the table, all three siblings looked up. Two sets of blue eyes locked onto the food and one set locked onto her eyes. "Here you go." She handed them each a plate, without looking away from Xena.

The brunette, truthfully, had been a little upset with Gabrielle. But she couldn't stay mad at her once she saw her again. She just couldn't find it in her heart. She patted the empty seat next to her and was glad when Gabrielle eagerly took it.

"I'm sorry your mom said no."

Xena leaned over and whispered, "I'm still going. Let's talk later, ok?" She got up and went into the kitchen, and then returned with a plate of food for Gabrielle. "Eat up."

Gabrielle couldn't believe her ears. Xena was going to sneak out to the festival.

xxxx

After eating, the kids washed up and all went to bed. It wasn't that late, but they'd been up harvesting since daybreak. Gabrielle cleaned up their dinner, then just sat by the fire. Her dad had long since left, but told her as long as she was home after dinner at the inn, then it was ok for her to stick around.

The waiting was terrible since she didn't know exactly what she was waiting for. Xena said they'd talk later, but she had not made any other clues after that. _Am I just supposed to wait here for her?_

Finally, she got up and prepared to go home. She knew that her father would worry if she wasn't back soon. Walking out of the inn, she was happy to see that the moon was out and bright so she could see the path better.

She was half way home when she heard something behind her. "Psst!"

The blonde teenager turned around and spotted her friend. "Xena, what are you doing?"

Xena caught up to her, "You should ask your dad if you can sleep over tonight. I want to talk to you about the festival." Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but she wanted to talk with her friend so badly that she didn't care.

Gabrielle noticed how tired she looked, "Xena, I think you will just fall asleep while talking to me. We can just talk tomorrow, can't we?"

She couldn't hide her disappointment. "I guess." She turned to go back to the inn, but was stopped when she felt a hand in hers pulling her to a stop. She turned around and looked into green eyes, which reflected the bright moon.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

"I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" Without consideration to her actions, she leaned in and kissed Xena on the cheek. Her face immediately flushed with embarrassment, she could feel it. She backed away and then ran the rest of the way to her house.

Xena stood, completely still, right where it happened. After a moment, she smiled.

xxxx

Xena slept well that night; exhaustion overrode the swirl of thoughts in her head. When she woke with the sun, she felt ready to take on the day. After a quick breakfast, she was out the door before either brother.

The sun was bright and the morning was crisp. She looked towards Gabrielle's house and smiled. Today was the day that Toris was taking the harvest to Tragilus. She convinced him to let her go with. The only caveat was that neither would be telling their mother. Xena was going to hide in the wagon under the grain until they were on the road.

She told Toris about the sword competition and he wanted to compete as well. She already packed her bag this morning and put it in the back of the grain wagon, which they would load up today. There wasn't much left do to in the field, just a few more yards of work. Then everything would be ready.

She made quick work of the last stalks of grain, chopping them down and bundling them. By the time she finished, the boys were finally coming out of the inn to work. She passed by them on her way to the barn to pull the wagon out.

"Xena, we need to finish the field first." Toris hollered to her.

"Already did! Help me with the wagon then we can load up."

He stared at her instead of moving to help. "How did she do that all herself, Ly? If I didn't know better, I'd think she was Hercules. Come on, let's get this over with."

xxxx

It took them longer than expected to load the wagon full of grain. The last half of the day was spent loading the remaining grain into their storage so they could use it through the winter. They planned on heading out in the morning at first light.

Xena had thought about the sword competition all day long. The closer they got to morning, the more excited she had become. The bandit she fought several weeks ago really bolstered her confidence. She and Toris had ramped up their drills and both became even better as they worked harder.

Walking into the inn at dinner time was a relief to Xena. She loved to hear the sound of patrons talking and laughing. Tonight, though, was different. It was a sound that moved through her ear and directly to her stomach.

Gabrielle was sitting on a stool near the kitchen, reciting a story. The audience was listening quietly in rapt attention. Xena paused in her steps and watched as her best friend made the story come alive. It was about Hercules fighting a minotaur.

After a few moments, Lyceus nudged her and pulled her towards the kitchen. Her mother was busy filling bowls of soup.

"Xena, grab a knife and cut some bread, will you? Lyceus, grab some more plates. Toris, will you get a two more mugs of ale out to table nine?" She barked out orders, obviously not able to keep up with the crowded dining hall.

Xena immediately began to help. "Where is Hecuba? I thought that's why she worked here is to help out?"

Cyrene rolled her eyes, "Well I gave her the night off. When she heard Gabrielle was going to be out of the house, and Lila is sleeping at a friend's, well… she and Herodotus wanted the night alone."

"Eww, stop right there. I don't want to know anymore." Xena finished cutting all the loaves and put them on a large plate. "Do you want me to just take this out and give a hunk to each person?"

"Yes, Xena, that would be perfect. Toris! Will you be finished with the harvest for your trip in the morning? Did I give you enough money to take care of yourself while you are there?"

Xena walked out of the kitchen, wishing she could stay and hear the conversation. The door swung shut behind her and she felt a little overwhelmed with how big the crowd was. She looked at her friend and smiled, though Gabrielle didn't see her.

As she passed out the bread, she heard many people talking about Gabrielle and how good of a story teller she was. Xena's heart swelled with pride over the accolades towards her friend.

xxxxx

The night ended late, but Gabrielle had joined the family in cleaning up. Xena and her brothers were exhausted; in fact, Lyceus had fallen asleep at the table instead of eating dinner. Gabrielle and Xena chatted in casual conversation while they cleaned up.

Once they were done, Gabrielle set out to leave. "Hey wait, come with me. I feel like we haven't talked much lately." Xena said, pulling on her friend's arm.

Gabrielle accepted the invite, glad she was going to finally get the scoop on the festival. "Sure." She followed Xena up the stairs and into the bathing room. "Oh are you going to get cleaned up?" She asked as Xena started taking her clothes off. She immediately turned around to give her friend privacy.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't warn you." She smiled at her friend's shyness. She'd never been one to be that shy about being naked, or anything else for that matter. Once stripped bare, she grabbed a few buckets of water that were left over from last night, and poured them into a small wooden tub. "Ah, that's cold." She exclaimed as she lowered her body in.

Gabrielle had never been around Xena when she bathed, so this was different for her. In fact, she'd only been around her parents and Lila in this type of situation. She turned around and immediately averted her eyes to look at her toes. "Ahem, so tell me about the festival."

Xena realized her friend was staring at her feet. She looked down at herself and realized that the tub didn't exactly cover her up. _Oh well._ "Ok, so here's the scoop. I'm going to go with Toris. I knew he was going to that festival to sell our left over crop, but I didn't know about the sword stuff until you told me. Anyway, Tor and I started talking and decided that we both want to compete. So I'm going to wake up before mom and him, then hide under the bundles of grain in the back of the wagon."

Gabrielle looked up and locked eyes with Xena. "But your mom said no!"

"I don't care. I'm going. I have to compete with other people; otherwise I'll never get good enough to defend the city." Xena continued to scrub the dirt and filth off her body.

Gabrielle couldn't believe that Xena was going to sneak away like this. "What happens when your mom finds you gone in the morning? She will probably ask me where you went and I can't lie like that!"

"Shhh. She'll hear you. You don't have to lie. I guarantee she will figure out exactly where I went. She knows how bad I want to go." She stood up and grabbed a towel from the stool next to the tub.

Once again, catching Gabrielle off guard, "Xena, warn me, will you? Sheesh."

Xena laughed, "Sorry. I don't see what the big deal is. It's just skin and stuff."

Gabrielle began to blush, "Well I don't need to see it." She walked out of the bathroom and into Xena's room. She sat on the edge of the bed and waited for her friend to get dressed in her shift.

After a few minutes, the taller teenager came in, fully clothed. "Better?" she said as she cocked her eyebrow.

"Much." She said with a nod. "Well, I'm going to go home now. I guess I'll see you in a few days when you get back." She stood up and passed her friend on the way to the door.

Xena stopped her, "It will only be a couple days, ok? Then I'll be back and we can go fishing or something."

"I wish I could go with you." Gabrielle shuffled her feet on the ground, a little embarrassed with how much she wanted to hang out with her friend. No matter how much they saw each other, it never seemed enough for her.

"I'll bring you back something from the festival, ok?" Xena said as she ruffled her friend's hair.

Gabrielle smiled, "Alright. That works for me."

xxxx

The festival was booming with activity. Everywhere they looked, merchants sold a vast array of goods. Almost every booth had something that Gabrielle would love for a present. Xena knew that she had to earn money first though.

Luckily, only the second day had sports to enter in, which left the first day for them to sell their grain. They sold all of it, since grain was always in demand.

The day of the first sword competition, Xena was a bit nervous. Toris didn't think they'd let her compete because she was a girl. So she decided to try to look like a boy. She wrapped herself in a tight cloth to hide her breasts and wore very masculine clothes that she borrowed from Toris.. Since she didn't have a helmet, she had to do something drastic. She cut her hair from the middle of her back up to well above her shoulders. She looked just like Toris when she was done, only slightly prettier. She covered her face in dirt to make it harder to tell she was a girl.

Toris laughed at her, thinking that she wouldn't fool anyone. However, she entered the competition as a male with no problems at all. Her first fight was rough; she was knocked down many times and almost lost. But somehow she had pulled through and used her developing strength to knock down the man that was twice her size.

Toris lost his first fight, but won his second. He ended up with some bad cuts on his face and arms because he wasn't wearing any armor. He was bruised in all sorts of places, making it hard for him to move. Therefore, he dropped out of the competition. However, Xena seemed to excel. She won each fight, though most only by a hair. Her body was hurting just as bad as her brother's but she persevered because of her determination to win.

At the end, she lost the final fight. In her mind, she only lost because the guy was the size of Hercules. But in reality, she knew she lost because her tactic was wrong. She needed to rethink how to take on someone that size. She left the arena with a dislocated shoulder and a large cut on her arm. It wasn't deep, but it stung.

On their way out of town, despite her pain and misery, she stopped at a couple of booths and spent some of her earned money on a gift for her friend. It was a book filled with stories about gods, warlords, and kings. It had action, adventure, and romance. It was perfect for Gabrielle.

She put the book in her bag at the same moment that she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see her best friend standing right in front of her! "Uh, Gabrielle! What are you doing here?"

"I snuck out." She smiled and nudged her friend. "What did you buy from this guy?" she looked around her taller friend to see what the merchant had for sale. It was a booth full of books. "Books? You hate reading."

Xena's cheeks flushed a bit; she'd been caught. "Wait a minute, how did you sneak out? That's not like you."

"I wanted to watch you fight, so I told my dad that you and I were going to go camp up by our fishing hole. Then I followed you here." Gabrielle stepped up into the wagon next to Toris.

Xena was in shock, "That was dangerous! What if someone had attacked you or something?"

Gabrielle just shrugged. Toris chimed in, "Yeah, Gabby. That wasn't very smart."

Xena threw her bag into the back of the wagon and jumped into it. "Well come here, short stuff. Don't sit by grumpy old Toris." She patted the bottom of the wagon next to her. Toris slapped the reigns and they were off in a slow walk.

As soon as Gabrielle was next to her, Xena continued, "So did you see me fight?"

"Yes! Oh Xena you were amazing! I can't believe you beat so many tough men."

Her ego grew about three sizes upon hearing that. "Really? It wasn't that hard, really. I mean, I'm pretty beat up and my arm is dislocated. But it was so fun!"

Gabrielle immediately looked her over and started to wipe away some of the blood with water from her pack. "So what's in the bag?"

Xena shot her a look, then rolled her eyes towards Toris. "Nothing." Then she mouthed, "I'll show you later."

xxxx

The journey home was fun for the girls. They enjoyed the travel and even walked some of the way home ahead of the wagon. As they neared Amphipolis, Xena turned around and shouted to her brother, "Hey we are going to camp out here for the night. You can go on home, ok?"

Toris rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Mom is going to kill you." He didn't fight with her though, he just kept moving towards home.

"Where are we going to camp, on the road?"

"No, follow me." Xena grabbed her hand and pulled her behind until they came to her private cave. "Welcome to my fortress." She threw her bag down on the ground and smiled proudly at the small space.

"Fortress, huh? It's pretty cool, but I don't know about fortress." Gabrielle chuckled at her friend's excitement over a partial cave.

"Ok, so now I can tell you about what I bought at the book stand."

xxxx

The night went by without incident. They talked through most of the night, about anything and everything they wanted. Gabrielle read from the book Xena had bought for her. The stars twinkled overhead and gave them a sense of freedom that neither had really experienced before in this way. Gabrielle decided then and there that traveling on the open road is what she wanted to do when she was old enough. Xena had already known that's what she wanted as well.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry this took so long!**

**Rewriting the Scrolls**

**Chapter 10**

**By Jinxie's Wifey**

Gabrielle stood on backstage of an enormous entertainment hall. It was decorated in beautiful marble and gold leaf. There were red wine colored hangings from the ceiling and covering the 20-foot tall windows.

She peeked through the curtain and was shocked at the sight before her. The main room seemed to go on forever and it was packed with audience members- all there to hear her stories. People were so numerous that it would have taken hours or even days to count them all. Her eyes scanned the crowd, finally landing on a small group in the front row. Her heart warmed as she saw all of her favorite people were in attendance: her parents, her sister, Cyrene, and, of course, Xena. Waving at them, Gabrielle felt excitement and nervousness both grip her heart in equal amounts. She closed her eyes and began to count down the seconds until she was due on stage. Gently, the rhythmic sound of the crowd made it's way into her ears.

"Gabby! Gabby! Gabby!" The audience chanted. She could somehow here Xena's voice above the rest.

She was given the signal to walk on stage and perform. As she was walking on stage, Gabrielle found herself showered with white roses. Applause from everyone sounded strangely like a stampede of horse coming her way.

"Gabby! Gabby! Wake up!"

xxxxxxxx

Suddenly, the young blonde found herself awake, with Xena by her side, frantically shaking her. "Gabby! Come on, you gotta wake up!" Gabrielle rose to the sound of her friend and of galloping horses.

"What's going on?" She asked Xena as she rubbed her eyes. As her vision cleared, she stiffened at how shaken her friend was.

Xena stood up and began to gather their things, moving faster than Gabrielle had ever seen her move. "I think that's Cortez's men; looks like their headed for home."

Feeling all the blood drain from her face, Gabrielle jumped up and prepared to leave the campsite as fast as Xena was. There were dozens of horses trampling past their campsite, which was thankfully hidden from the men. "What are we going to do?!" She asked the young warrior.

"Well, we're going to take a short cut home, which should get us there a little faster." She stopped for a brief moment to assess the situation. "We will have to leave our things for now, Gabby, we can't get home fast enough with all that stuff to carry."

Xena ran and grabbed Gabrielle's hand and began leading her to through the wooded area by the cave.

As they began to run, Gabrielle noticed Xena was leading her through an area she hadn't been before. Before she could ask where they were going, Xena spoke up. "This will cut off a few minutes of time at least. I don't think we'll beat the horses, but I should be able to get there to stop the men from doing too much damage."

The girls ran as fast as they could, rarely breaking the grasp they had on the other's hand. Xena could have run much faster than she was currently running, but she didn't want Gabrielle to get lost in the woods on the way home. If she got lost, she could be caught by one of Cortez's men.

Glancing at her friend, Xena began to speak again. "I'll gather Toris and his friends. We'll be able to stop the raiders."

"Are you sure?" Gabrielle asked, getting out of breath. She did her best to keep up with the brunette, but there was no denying how much faster Xena would be moving without her there. "Xena, just go ahead. I'll catch up." She let go of Xena's hand.

Practically skidding to a stop, the young warrior quickly turned to face young Gabrielle. "No!" She exclaimed, breath ragged. "If you get lost, or worst if one of the raiders come across you, I won't be able to protect you." She grabbed Gabrielle by the arm and being running again. "Besides, we're almost there."

Unable to protest, Gabrielle followed along as fast as she could. The two girls ran until they reached the town, which had already begun to be terrorized by the men on horses.

Xena stopped with Gabrielle once they got near the town entrance. "Go make sure your family's okay. I'll catch up with you later."

They shared a worried look and began to part. Just as Gabrielle was starting to move away from Xena, she found herself being held in place as arms wrapped around her. Turning, so that they could be face to face, the young girls shared a quick hug before parting ways.

xxxxxx

Xena made her way to the Inn, where Toris and his friends were doing their best to protect their home from the fire. Flames were shooting out from windows, and the sound of screaming men, women, and children were joined by the yells and grunts of Cortez's warriors. She momentarily found herself mesmerized by the sight before her. There was complete and total chaos, but it appeared to be perfect order at the same time. It was as though she knew exactly what was going on. It seemed eerily familiar to her, like she had been in this situation. The feeling of déjà vu felt so powerful, yet so far away, like it was a memory from a past life.

The haze she was in broke by the sound of her brother's voice. "XENA!"

She saw Toris coming towards her. She jogged to meet him half way. "Where's everyone?" She asked as her eyes scanned the sight behind her brother for the rest of her family.

"They are safe. Me, Auto, and Theodorus stayed behind to save the Inn." Toris explained as he and his sister ran towards their home. The inn had a small fire in the upper level, and they could see, as well as hear, a group of raiders coming back their way. The teens stared at the frightening sight before them. "Xena," Toris almost whispered, "what are we going to do?"

xxxxxxxxxx

Gabrielle burst into the door of her house. The house was completely trashed, inside and out, and she could hear the crackling small fire in the corner. "MOM! DAD!" She cried out. The smoke of the fire made its way into her lungs, exciting a cough from her chest.

Fear coursed through her when she heard no response. She called out again. "MOM!" The fire in the corner had grown larger, moving into the other room. The flames were making the house hotter by the second. "DAD!" Sweat began to pour from her skin. She was getting dizzy.

'_I have to get out of here'_

She turned around, trying to find her way out of the house. The fire had multiplied in size and the flames were crawling up the walls, there was no way for her to get out of the house that way. She turned to try to another way, only to have the flames overtake that part of the house as well.

The smoke was burning her eyes, and her lungs. It was getting harder for her to breath. Gabrielle began to panic as she realized there was no way out. She felt tear well up in her eyes. Her head was swimming. Things were blurry. Everything was going dark. As she felt her body hit the floor the last thought in her mind was of her loved ones.


End file.
